The Faded Ribbon
by soProfesh
Summary: Two years ago, Soul disappeared while on a mission for Lord Death. Accused for his mysterious disappearance, Maka was condemned from Death City. Her advocates strongly supported her innocence. Among them was Soul's twin brother, Wes. Maka reluctantly obeys Death's orders to return to Death City for her own safety. Will she find out what truly happened to Soul? SOMA
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater**

* * *

Her feet dangled from the edge of the cliff as the moon peered from behind the clouds allowing her to gaze out at the vast beauty of the landscape before her. The city lights burned and sparkled like stars in the distance beyond the crests of the mountains. Below her lay a green covered valley filled with beautiful flowers and a small flowing river dancing in the shimmer of the moonlight. The thunder roared through the mighty peaks and echoed around the enchanting valley. The rain that pounded on all the leaves and green around her was a familiar and comforting sound. She missed this. She pulled her sleeve back to stare at the little red ribbon tied around her wrist. She yanked on it and ripped it off as she stood up and walked to the nearby magnolia tree. There were so many memories here. She held onto the sturdy branch as she leaned further out over the cliff. It was harder to do in heels so she kicked them off her feet. Her long black gown was soaked and flew behind her in the heavy wind. The little ribbon she held in her hand flapped furiously in the strong gust with her long golden locks of hair. Both her hands were above her head, wrapped around the branch for support. Far below her was a pit of blurry trees in the distance. She was focused on her destination immediately beneath her. She held on to the branch even tighter as her breathing became more rapid. This was it. She held her breath as she was about to let go.

"Stop!"

She held the branch tightly and turned to see where the voice came from. A boy stood in the shadow just beyond the trunk of the tree, breathing deeply.

"…Stop."

* * *

 ** _MISSING DWMA STUDENT_**

 ** _The Death Meister/Weapon pair from the DWMA in Death City known as Maka Albarn and Soul Eater Evans were_** ** _targeting a team of two Kishin eggs Tuesday night, when Mr. Evans mysteriously disappeared._**

 ** _The evil duo is well known to the DWMA and have been able to escape the grasp of the Academy for many years, allowing them to consume numerous human souls and grow in their power. They were reportedly on the verge of completing the transformation to become full-fledge Kishin._**

 ** _According to Miss. Albarn, she and Mr. Evans were entering the cave of which was believed to be the lair of the Kishin duo on Tuesday around 8 pm. Mr. Evans entered first when there was a sudden collapse of the cave entrance, leaving Miss. Albarn outside while Mr. Evans was trapped on the interior. Miss. Albarn tried desperately to move the rocks and call out to her partner when another collapse only left more damage at the blocked entrance. Realizing she needed help, she immediately contacted the Academy for backup._**

 ** _Once special units arrived and the rocks were removed about an hour and a half later, Soul Eater was nowhere to be found. Search and rescue teams scoured the perimeter and searched the enclosure of the cave but Mr. Evans was never located._**

 ** _Lord Death had confidence in the Meister/Weapon pair's abilities - In only the 3 months that Mr. Evans had received the rank of "Death Scythe", the pair succeeded in completing 13 other missions that were labeled highly classified and highly dangerous, setting a record for the DWMA. One of those missions included saving the lives of all the Death Weapons and Meisters involved. They were considered heroes throughout Death City during this time._**

 ** _Lord Death has asked anyone with potential information on the whereabouts of Mr. Evans to please come forward…_**

* * *

There were many rumors floating around the Academy speculating about what happened to Soul. Some even blamed Maka saying the whole story was made up and she murdered her partner in cold blood. Eventually all the rumors caused her to part ways with the Academy. Nobody knew exactly what became of her except Lord Death, who didn't disclose any information about her location to anybody; not even to her closest friends or father.

Tsubaki, Black*Star, Death the Kid, Liz, and Patty were determined to clear Maka's name and bring her back to the Academy. Even Soul's twin brother, Wes, and his meister, Ally, staunchly believed in Maka's innocence and joined the gang in the fight to bring justice for Maka. By that time, them, Blair, Stein, Spirit, Miss Marie, Sid, and Lord Death were the only individuals in Death City advocating for Maka's innocence. Everyone else, it seemed, deemed her guilty.

Two years have passed since that fateful day, and Maka remembers it all so clearly. It haunts her dreams at night and her thoughts during the day. For so long she clung to the hope that one day he would return to her, but now, two years later, she feels it was all in vain. He never returned and he never will... It's time for her to move on…

She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of students rapidly rising from their seats around her. Maka had daydreamed again.

She pushed her glasses up closer to the bridge of her nose and started to gather her things. She crammed her notebooks and textbooks into her backpack and threw it over her shoulder as she proceeded to the exit of the building.

She stood at the top of the steps that descended into the large stone courtyard of the university. "Maka!" Maka turned to see a slim, toned boy with long brown hair approach her. "Hey," he said smiling. "Hey, Nick." She smiled back at him.

"Hey, so listen, that test is next Friday. Want to study together sometime this week?"

She pulled the straps of her backpack together as she answered. "Yeah. Of course. I'll text you?"

He smiled again and turned to continue down the steps, "Yeah let me know! I'm going to be late, I'll see ya later!" She sighed to herself as she made her way across the busy courtyard and back to her dormitories where she could relax the rest of the day.

She threw her backpack onto her bed and slumped in her chair in front of her computer. Maka attended a real college, with real people - No longer studying the art of souls. This is much better than that life. Much. She doesn't have to think about Death Weapons or Meisters or her old friends - she hasn't really made any new ones here yet, but she figures she just needs time - and most importantly, she can forget about him. Forget _everything_ about him - what he looked like, how he sounded, his stupid faces he always made. She wanted nothing more than to erase his memory from her brain forever. Anything and everything about her old life - that was behind her. She will no longer shed any tears. She will no longer blame herself. She won't dwell on what she could have done differently… It was time to start anew; time for her to be happy again. She smiled to herself and reached into her backpack to begin her homework. She pulled out her textbook for Roman history as she sighed to herself.

She looked over at her sword hanging on the nail above her bed and smiled. For the past 2 years, she has been studying in the art of the katana with Master Rin Sid. Rin Sid is an old Japanese gentleman especially gifted in the art of the sword. He doesn't talk very much but when he does, it's worth listening to because he's very wise. He's gained Maka's respect as he is one of the only true friends Maka feels she has made since this transition into her new life.

After a few hours of major studying, Maka felt hungry. She closed her book, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door. She made her way out of her dormitory only to find that it was raining outside. She put her hood up above her head and walked casually into the rain. Rain didn't bother Maka.

As she walked to the corner café that she usually frequented for the delicious chicken guacamole wrap they served, she began to drift off in thought again. It is days like this that make her revisit old memories the most. It's days like this that make her want to visit the giant hill outside of town that overlooks a large river. She mostly liked to go on gloomy days like this, just to think about things. It's not as glorious as a sight of where she used to go in her past...with _him._ But it does the job.

That night she laid in bed, thinking - one of her most dangerous pastimes. She stared at the ceiling which glowed in the moonlight. Suddenly, his face appeared in the forefront of her mind, like it did nearly every night. Some nights she finds relief from him, but others…other nights she is gripped by pain, unable to avoid the face which appears so clearly in her mind's eye. The face that tortures her very soul when she gazes upon it. The face that appears no matter how many attempts she has made to block it out. The face that won't let her forget. The face of which she has failed to free herself from. His face. His beautiful face. She closed her eyes trying to think of anything else, anything at all... But all she could think about was him. Old memories flashed through her mind again.

"You could help, you know," Maka said while taping a fold she made on the colorful gift in front of her.

He grinned and picked up the scissors. He cut a piece of red ribbon off the reel and began to tie it around Maka's wrist. "What are you doing," she asked. "Making you a bracelet," he said. Maka smiled when he made the final tie. "Beautiful, just lovely," she said as she waved her wrist around showing it off. He said, "you aren't allowed to take it off either." She eyed him curiously as she asked, "why not?"

"Because this means that you are mine and we will be partners forever," he replied without blinking an eye. Maka stared at him with a smile across her face. "Oh, so you want to be my partner forever? I thought 10 minutes ago I was 'uncool'." He laughed, "I haven't ever told you, thank you…" Maka's face turned into a confused expression at the strange statement. "For…?"

He smirked, "for being a cool meister."

Maka was skeptical. "Ok. Why are you being so weird?" He laughed. "Will you stop being so analytical and just accept it. I'm about to take it back."

Maka smiled, took the scissors, and cut a piece of green ribbon from the reel. She wrapped it around his wrist. "This means you're mine and we will be partners forever. You aren't allowed to take it off."

He smiled and said, "never. That wouldn't be cool."

Her mind snapped back to reality when she blinked and a tear fell out of her eye. That was for Kid's birthday… A few days after that was when he disappeared.

She brought her arm out from under the covers to look at the faded red ribbon that remained tied around her wrist. She wondered that if his remains were ever to be found, would that green ribbon still be there? The thought made her nauseous as she rolled over. She sniffed as a few more tears leaked from her eyes. _I'll always be yours..._ She thought to herself.

Meanwhile in Death City, Stein made his way across Lord Death's chambers. "You wanted to see me," he asked. Spirit stood at the end of the chamber with Death. "Yes, Stein. Thank you for responding so quickly." Stein stopped a few feet in front of the pair while awaiting the news. "I've just been informed that they have learned of Maka's location. It seems their interest in her hasn't waned and they don't take chances." Stein raised his eyebrows. "How did that happen?" Death shrugged, "we aren't entirely sure. In light of this news, we must bring her back to Death City. She is just not safe anymore."

Stein nodded and turned to leave, when he stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Death. "I assume it's time then?" Death nodded. "It's time."


	2. Chapter 2

Maka awoke abruptly. She grabbed her phone from her desk and stared at it wearily. "SHIT!" She jumped out of her bed, hurriedly got dressed, and rushed out the door.

She dashed across campus, never slowing, until she finally reached her seat in her economics class. _Whew…breathe._

She was only 10 minutes late.

Nick glanced over at her and smiled. She smiled back.

Maka had a few acquaintances on campus that she met through study groups or classes, whom she could say hi to and they would acknowledge her. Nick was one of those.

She had never met him before this semester but it just so happens that they were fated to be in 3 separate classes together at the same time…Roman history, economics, and linear algebra. It was he that approached her and asked her to be his study partner since their curriculum overlapped so much. She agreed, and the two have been meeting on a weekly basis, sharing notes, studying, and collaborating on homework.

Even though Maka was still struggling with her own happiness, she really enjoyed Nick's company. He was a pretty likeable person as far as she could tell. He always had a smile on his face making him appear to be optimistic. He dreamed big, hoping to one day own his own company and be a highly successful individual. The overall quality traits he possessed were his outgoing nature, intelligence, and drive in his studies- all things Maka could appreciate. Not to mention, he was pretty easy on the eyes…With his shaggy brown hair, tan skin, and bright blue eyes.

Maka put Nick in the back of her mind and was listening to the lecture that seemed to go on for ages. She was scribbling notes here and there, while focusing on the professor's monotone sentences that slowly started to fuse together. She began to doodle mindlessly, as she continued to concentrate on the professor's words. She was already well versed in these topics as she was ahead of the class in the chapters of her textbook.

After the class was over, she looked down at her stupid doodle. She stared at it for a second. It was just a blob of ink but after looking at it for a bit, it resembled 3 people. One had really spiky hair and was a lot shorter than the girl with a ponytail. She smiled to herself. Black*Star and Tsu…she missed them. Then she looked at the 3rd blob. She knew who that was…

"Hey!" The voice slammed her back into reality. Maka snapped her head up to look at Nick's smiling face. "Class is over, Maka."

Maka smiled as she closed her notebook. "Right."

They walked out of the classroom together.

"So wanna study later? I'll bring snacks," he said.

"Sure, Nick. Just text me."

"Ok! I hope you have a good day! I'll see ya, later!" He called out to her while rushing in the other direction.

Maka smiled and rolled her eyes while heading off to her next event.

She was going to see Master Rin Sid.

She walked up the familiar cobblestone path to the little house on the hill where Rin Sid resided. He lived just outside of the city. Maka must take a bus from campus out that way and walk a mile down a dirt road before she reaches his home. She likes it…gives her a little exercise and some scenery.

The master had a side garden where he spent most of his time. She walked around the side of the little cottage and found him watering some shrubs. "Hi, master," she said as she entered the garden.

"Maka-chan! Oh hello," He said pleasantly surprised to see her. "I was hoping you would come today. Are you ready to begin the lesson?"

"Yes!" Maka said enthusiastically while putting her backpack down and grabbing her katana that was attached to the side of her backpack and wrapped in brown paper.

"You know, you could leave your sword with me, Maka-chan…So you don't have to carry it back and forth."

Maka smiled. "It's ok, master. I like to keep it with me."

After going over a few moves, the master suddenly stopped and stared at Maka. "Is something troubling you, kohai?"

Maka looked a little confused. "What? Oh no. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night… that's all, master." She bowed her head.

He let out a chuckle. "Ohhh. Maka-chan. You know that Rin Sid is no fool. Come, come." He gestured her over to his tiny outdoor table in his garden.

She knew at this point she couldn't refuse and went to sit down at the table. He disappeared into his shed and a few minutes later appeared with a tray of teacups. He set one down in front of Maka and sat across from her while placing a cup on his own placemat.

"Now," he began while he took a sip of his steaming tea. "Tell Rin Sid what ails young Maka today."

"Really, master. I'm just tired…"

"Your face," he cut her off. "Your face speaks louder than your mouth. You look weary, young one. More weary than usual. Something must be keeping you up at night. We keep no secrets here. Tell, tell."

Maka sighed, remembering the reason behind her weariness…the turmoil that causes her to toss and turn at night. She wrapped her hands around the warm teacup and stared into the steamy brew.

"Truth is…I lost someone…a couple years ago." As she said it, a small tear formed in the crease of her eye and trickled down her cheek. She bit her lip and looked away, unwilling to go on.

"He was very special to you, yes?" Rin Sid brought his tea once again to his lips.

Maka looked up at him. "…I never said it was a he..."

Rin Sid smiled. "Your eyes give you away, Maka-chan. This young man is lucky to have caught your attention."

Maka looked away again. "Yeah well, he's gone. He isn't coming back."

Rin Sid put the tea down on the table and calmly spoke. "If you truly believe that …then why do you continue to hold on to him?"

Maka stared at him not entirely sure how to answer that.

He continued, "There is always hope."

Maka could feel tears forming in her eyes. "How did you know…"

He sat back in his chair and looked around at the scenery. "I've lived many years. I've seen many things. Once you have seen it, you can recognize when the spark of hope in one's eye has finally burnt out after the burden of doubt is removed."

He looked back at Maka. "Your burden is still there. And I stand with you, kohai. I believe as you do. There is still hope."

Maka looked down and took a sip of her tea.

"Did Maka-chan love this young man?"

Maka gazed up at her master with glazed eyes.

* * *

Her eyes opened suddenly. Sweat was pouring profusely from her body. She dreamed about it again -those rocks falling. It was like time was on a loop. She couldn't escape the nightmares.

She climbed out of bed to get a bottle of water. She began to take a sip when a horrible pain began in her forehead. "Ah!" She grasped her forehead while her knees collapsed to the floor. The pain was so unbearable that she moaned and cried out in agony.

"What is this?" She said out loud while still gripping her forehead.

 _We will find you._

She heard it so clearly in her mind. Then silence. Nothing. No pain.

She remained on the floor in shock. "What was that?!"

She slowly crept back into bed rubbing her head and breathing deeply. She snuggled back under the covers and sighed. Was it just her imagination? An anomaly?

She looked at the ceiling and suddenly saw his face again. _Cmon…Give me a damn break already._ She rolled over and closed her eyes hoping to go back to sleep.

The master's words still rang in her ear. _There's still hope._

She opened her eyes furiously. _There's no hope. He's gone. He's gone…_

She sat up and hugged her knees. She began to cry as she looked down at her wrist. The red ribbon lay loosely above her skin.

Faded. Worn out. Just like her hope.

She laid back down again, touching the frayed ribbon and closing her eyes.

She laid still on her back. Her body was weak. Her mind was weak. She didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't want to care anymore. She wanted so badly to forget. To cast light on this dark shadow that constantly followed wherever she went. She could feel the flame of hope that used to burn so brightly and hot in her soul slowly dying out…like a fire in the rain.

She wished she never met him, that they were never partners, that this had never happened.

She opened her eyes with tears dripping down her cheeks.

The blinking light on her phone caught her eye. She grabbed it off the shelf above her bed and unlocked it to reveal an unread text message from Nick.

"Hey, there's a party this weekend. Care to join?"

 _Did he have the right person?_

She texted him back. "Sure." She laid her phone on her chest.

His face disappeared from her mind's eye. She felt a tinge of happiness as she closed her eyes.

A little bit of relief, goes a long way.

* * *

She opened her eyes wearily as the sun streamed through the windows.

She walked to class wearily.

She sat down wearily.

She brought out her notebook and pen wearily.

She glanced over at Nick, wearily.

He waved; On his face was a concerned expression. She slightly smiled.

After class was over, he walked over to her seat. "You feeling ok," he asked.

Maka wearily packed up her backpack. "I'm ok…need more sleep."

"Ah. I'm sorry."

They walked outside.

Maka immediately stopped in her tracks and stared out into the courtyard.

"Maka?" Nick said as he followed her gaze to an odd-looking group of students staring back at Maka.

Nick stared back at them, "You know them?"

Maka began to walk slowly towards them while gripping her backpack.

The boy with a black star tattooed on his shoulder smirked.

"Hello, Maka."


	3. Chapter 3

Maka stared at all of them, assessing their appearances. Black*Star had grown quite a bit since the last time she saw him. She was minorly shocked by his height…He was now at least a foot taller than she was, even surpassing Tsubaki now. His hair isn't quite as spikey, but still shaggy. Tsubaki looked pretty much the same. Kid was a bit taller. Everybody looked almost the same but a little older. Out of all the differences though, Black*Star was the most alarming.

"What in the…" was all Maka could say before they all piled on top of her, hugging her. "MAKA!" Everybody simultaneously yelled out causing many inconspicuous stares. Maka hugged all of them back. "Oh my goodness!"

Maka looked back around at Nick who was standing there with a wide smile on his face. "Oh Nick, come here!" He happily strolled over.

"This is Nick; Nick these are my friends! Tsubaki, Black*Star, Kid, Liz, and Patty!" Maka pointed at each of them while saying their names.

Nick looked over at Black*Star. "Your name is really Black*Star?"

Black*Star smiled.

"Yup. Nice to meet you, man," he said as he held out his hand. Maka was still stunned by Black*Star's appearance. He was much more mature; his voice is much deeper than before.

Nick shook his hand confidently. "Nice to meet you too. Nice to meet all of you! I really should get going though. Hey Maka, remember this weekend," he said as he waved to all of them.

"Alright. Bye Nick," Maka said as she turned back to the group. They were all beaming at her as she put her hands in her coat pockets.

"So…What are y'all doing here?"

"We've come to take you back to the Academy," Black*Star blurted out.

Maka's heart stopped as her face fell flat. Her stomach leapt up into her throat.

"…Wha...What?"

Tsubaki chimed in.

"Yeah, so. Lord Death sent us…you need to come back to the Academy."

Maka stared at them in shock. "I'm not going back..." she said definitively.

Tsubaki and Black*Star exchanged glances.

"You are, Maka," Kid calmly said. "You aren't safe here."

"Guys, I have class…"

"Forget school. This is important," Kid stated.

Maka eyed all of them. "Why?"

"…We don't really know why. We were just told by my father that you aren't safe and we need to bring you back," responded Kid.

Maka gripped the straps of her backpack tighter. "…I can't go back there. People think…"

She looked down before continuing. "People there think that I'm a murderer. I can't go back."

"Who cares what other people think," Black*Star shouted. Maka focused her attention on him.

"You've got us, Maka. You have Wes and Ally…. Stein, Marie, Spirit, Sid, Blair, and Lord Death. You have us on your side. We WILL clear your name. Don't worry about that."

"Wes?" Maka repeated, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Yes, Wes. He doesn't think you're guilty; Maka…he's your biggest advocate - constantly defending you against others."

A tear escaped Maka's eye which she quickly caught and wiped away. The thought of his twin brother supporting her innocence was heart wrenching. Wes was probably the most affected by the loss of his brother. They were twins; they were close. He should be the angriest with her; yet, he defends her. How could she ever come face to face with him again? How could she have lost someone that he cares so much about, so carelessly. The guilt inside of her was slowly rising.

"I'm sorry, guys."

She started walking away.

"Maka!" Tsubaki grabbed her and turned her around.

"Everybody here believes in your innocence. We believe he's still out there and... he needs us, Maka…He needs _you._ "

Maka stared at her, pitifully. She didn't truly believe he was still out there...did she? "Tsubaki…" Maka sighed. "I just can't go back. I'm sorry. Whatever happens to me out here, I probably deserve. I'm not worth protecting."

Everybody's eyes widened as Maka turned around and began to walk away again.

This time, Black*Star chased her, grabbed her wrist, and held on.

"Shut up, Maka. We aren't leaving until you come with us. We will force you if we have to. I'm not leaving without you."

Maka looked into his eyes, recognizing the determination. She looked downward towards the ground and sighed, giving in, too defeated to pick a fight. "Ok. Fine. You win. But I'm not staying forever. I have responsibilities here now. That part of my life is over, you understand?"

Black*Star smiled. "Fine. But maybe you will change your mind."

"When do we leave," she asked ignoring his comment.

"Right now."

She gawked at him. "Right now? Isn't that a bit…sudden?"

"Will you hush and come on." Black*Star grabbed her hand and began walking.

* * *

The university wasn't that far from the city - Only two and a half hours away.

Maka gazed out of the window of the bus in a daze. The road looked very familiar as they made their way back to Death City. She didn't speak at all during the ride. None of them did.

Maka left so quickly two years ago, she didn't really have a chance to talk to them about the ordeal. Seeing them again has only stirred up the pot all over. She worked so hard to suppress painful memories of the past but more and more of that wall she built was unraveling each second. The thought of him burned in the forefront of her mind once more. It was as if the wound had reopened and was as fresh as it was when it was first slashed into her heart. The closer that bus got to Death City, the more intense the pain in her heart grew.

She was beginning to feel anxious. She didn't want to go back and face the thousands of people who currently think she had something to do with her partner's disappearance… The thousands of fingers pointing her way...blaming her. She reheard all the whispering voices trapped in her memories. "How did she just lose him? She _must_ be guilty. It is absolutely her fault."

And maybe Maka agreed with them. Maybe she was at fault. Maybe she could have done something to stop it. She began to revisit those old thoughts that she believed were buried deep in her mind's grave. Thoughts she did not desire to dig back up.

 _No..._

Finally, the bus stopped in Death City, bringing Maka's attention back to reality.

The gang thanked the driver as they made it off the bus one by one.

Maka was last.

As they got closer to the DWMA, Maka was more nauseous. They slowly approached the tall tower that overlooked Death City like a guardian. As they approached, increasing amounts of people began to acknowledge their presence. Maka tried to hide her face as best she could, but she could feel the dark stares. She could hear the faint whispering of those around her. She could sense the tension in the air from the judgements being pressed upon her like a curse. _That's it._

Maka began to get angry. _I'm innocent, dammit…Damn all of you._

Maka's demeaner changed as she grew angrier. A fire of rage burned inside of her. She was done feeling intimidated. She was done feeling guilt. She was done feeling anything. She wasn't going to let all these people control her emotions and drag her back down to that pit of despair she clawed her way out of. Maka's pace quickened as her eyes focused on the DWMA. She resolutely marched up the steps of the academy, ignoring the various stares she was receiving. She didn't care anymore and continued to focus only on her destination.

She surpassed the group; they walked faster to keep up with her.

She entered the doors of the DWMA without hesitation and continued onward to Lord Death's chambers. Some people began to follow the group, curious as to what was happening. She marched right up to the large wooden door of Death's "Death Room" and knocked angrily with the heavy door knocker.

The doors immediately opened with a mist of clouds pouring from the room. "Come in, my dear."

Maka rapidly stepped in while the group followed. The doors slammed behind them.

Lord Death was in the corner of his chamber.

"Hi, Maka! Oh…Oh dear." He could see the anger written clearly on her face.

"What is this about, Death? Why am I in danger and why did you order me to come back," Maka demanded.

"Getting straight to the point then, hmm?"

"Quit dodging the question. I demand to know right now."

The gang watched with wide eyes.

"You will know in due time, my child. Right now is not the right moment to tell you everything. But I promise you will get your answers soon."

"That's bullshit."

She heard the group gasp behind her. Death simply stared at her.

"It's all bullshit…" she continued.

Maka breathed deeply for a minute as she stared at Death with cold eyes. He silently watched her eyes transition from anger to sadness. A subtle tear fell down her cheek as her knees went weak.

"Why…Why Death?" She collapsed to the ground in front of him as more tears escaped her eyes.

…

Death stared at her in pity.

"Will all of you excuse us for a bit, please," Death asked the rest of the gang. The group was hesitant to leave as they looked upon Maka with great sympathy. When they did leave, Death bent down to Maka's level.

"It's ok to cry, Maka. To be confused. To be angry…It's ok. You have been treated so unfairly throughout this misfortune. I understand you have gone through great suffering and I sympathize. I hope you will just give me a little more time to be able to explain things clearly to you. I promise, I will try and make your stay here as comfortable as I can. I will not tolerate any hatred or discrimination towards you from others in my city."

Maka listened to him, still staring at the ground beneath her.

"As for your school. I have taken care of all of that. You can go back and finish whenever the danger has passed, but that might not be soon enough to finish out the semester. This semester will not count against you."

She looked up. "… I can't go back this semester?"

 _Nick…_

"I'm sorry, Maka. It's just too dangerous. You will understand soon."

"MAKA!" An obnoxious yell and loud knocking on the chamber door interrupted their conversation. "Oh dear…" Lord Death sighed.

The doors opened.

"MAKAMAKAMAKA!"

Spirit ran in and tackled his daughter. "Oh you're back, I love you. I missed you. How could you leave me for so long? Never again, Maka. Never again."

Maka didn't feel like fighting it. She was too depressed and went limp in his arms.

"Reaperrrrr CHOP."

Spirit dropped Maka, writhing in pain in a big pathetic heap on the floor. "Please Spirit, show a little compassion here."

Stein and the gang had re-entered the room without permission. "Welcome back, Maka. Nice to see you again."

"Hello, professor Stein," Maka said wearily as she began to pick herself up off the floor. Maka began to slowly walk past everybody towards the chamber exit. She didn't really care anymore. She didn't care about anything.

Death cleared his throat to the crowd watching her leave.

"I am going to ask all of you to be very mindful of her feelings. She's very vulnerable at this time. I'm also going to ask that you look out for her. A lot of people around here think she's guilty as you know, and I will not tolerate anyone displaying any kind of hatred towards her. Please alert me if you witness any such imprudent acts…We need to be there as support for Maka now."

As he said it, a yell came from the corridor. "Murderer!" The gang immediately began to sprint out into the hall.

"Leave her alone you nincompoops!" Black*Star belted as he ninja'd his way down the hall. The gang followed closely behind.

Maka was almost to the main doors of the DWMA when she saw a flicker of white to her right by the wall in the hallway. As if it was out of instinctual habit, her eyes immediately followed the flash of white. When she looked over, her eyes widened as her stomach fell to the floor. It felt as if her heart stopped and time itself had slowed down. A boy with messy white hair, a black leather jacket, and blue jeans was leaning against the hallway wall flipping through a book.

Maka knew who she was looking at but she still couldn't believe her eyes. _He looks so much like him…_ She didn't realize that she was staring until he looked up and his crimson eyes met her gaze. He slightly smiled and held his hand up to wave when she suddenly tore her eyes away from his stare and continued even faster out of the building.

Maka walked calmly back to her old apartment without acknowledging any of the insults her way. She still had her key.

She put the key in the keyhole and slowly turned it and opened the creaky door.

"Thanks, guys. But I want to be alone for a while," she said, not looking at the group that followed her to the apartment.

She entered the dark apartment and shut the door behind her, locking it.

She reached for the light switch, not expecting it to turn on since nobody lived here to pay the bills. To her surprise, it did turn on. _Hmm._

She looked around. She would think that it had been dusty after being abandoned for so long. But it looks like the apartment was recently cleaned. It was pretty much spotless.

 _Maybe Blair still lives here…Or maybe they had it cleaned because they knew I was coming back._

Whatever the reason, she really didn't care to give it much more thought. She slowly made her way across the familiar living room and stopped as her eyes fell upon the closed door to his bedroom. Her stomach dropped as she stared.

Her eyes stayed focused on the door as she slowly approached it and reached out to touch the ice-cold handle. Her fingers curled around the smooth surface of the knob, sending shivers down her spine. Her grip tightened around it, yet she did not turn it. She stared at the white wood in front of her face and closed her eyes. She laid her forehead gently against the door and began to cry. Pressing herself closer into the wood, she slowly slid down it until she was sitting on the floor…sobbing. Her cheek was pressed firmly against the door.

She wasn't about to open that door and look into his empty room. What if it's in the exact same condition as it always has been? That would make her sad. What if it's not the same…That would also upset her. There was no winning by opening this door. It will only silently prove what she's been trying to deny for so long. He's not there and he won't ever be in that room again. It will forever remain as empty as she feels inside.

She sat there for a long time unwilling to move away from his room. It was almost as if she felt a connection to him by sitting there. She pictured him lying on his bed like he always used to do, as if nothing ever changed. As if she could open the door again and see him sitting there and he would roll his eyes saying, "doesn't anybody know how to knock around here?" She could hear his voice in her head. She missed that. That was so much better than this. Her eyes welled up with tears again. She didn't want to leave the comfort of that door.

She sat there until finally the comfort faded away. Stark reality cast a shadow upon her once more. Depressed, she picked herself off the floor and turned to go into her room. It was the exact same way she had left it two years ago.

She gazed upon her old bed and suddenly felt drained. She plopped down onto her mattress and closed her eyes, drifting quickly off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun gleamed through the closed blinds. Maka suddenly opened her eyes.

 _Where am I?_

She slowly lifted herself up off the pillow and looked around.

Her old room…Oh! She remembered.

She got out of the bed and slowly walked into the hallway where she gazed upon his door…. yeah, she remembered.

Depressed, she strode over to the window and dropped a blind to peek outside. People were walking past the apartment, going about their day normally. She didn't much enjoy the idea of leaving the safety and seclusion of her apartment to be harassed. She flipped the blinds back in place and plopped on the couch to watch tv.

… "Hi, this is Maka. Leave a message!" Tsubaki hung the phone up. "Voicemail again."

Black*Star rolled his eyes. "We should just go over there," he said casually walking with his fingers interlaced behind his head.

"Duh. That's where we are going," Liz said.

"…Hey guys." They stopped to look over in the direction from which the voice came.

"May Ally and I come with you?" Wes asked.

The group smiled at him. "Of course, Wes! You don't even need to ask." Tsubaki said.

They all headed over to Soul and Maka's old apartment. Black*Star ran up the wide stone steps and knocked powerfully. "Hey Maka, c'mon we know you are in there."

Maka slightly opened the door. "What do you want…"

Black*Star smiled. "C'mon, Maka! Let's go for a walk. Could probably use a little fresh air, hmm?"

Maka rolled her eyes. "I don't want to go anywhere, Black*Star."

Black*Star interrupted her. "Ok fine, can we come in there and chill with you all boringly then? Either way, we are hanging out with you."

Maka closed her eyes in frustration. She backed away from the door and squeezed the bridge of her nose in defeat. "Alright, alright I give up. Let me change."

They all entered the living room as they waited for Maka to get ready. She came out of the room only to see that pure white hair again at the back of the group. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him. Realizing she was staring, she quickly looked down at the floor and distracted herself by tying her shoe.

"Alright…we can go," she said.

They all made their way out of the apartment and started off down the street.

"So…where we going," Maka asked.

Black*Star smiled. "You really have to ask?"

Maka looked down at the ground…she knew.

The trees in the forest glowed a vibrant green and the sky was perfectly blue and clear. Maka sniffed the evergreen air and slightly smiled. She actually kind of missed this.

They made their way down the familiar dirt path they always took to the usual spot. Finally, Maka saw it. The old magnolia tree by the cliff was still there like an old friend that never went away. Maka stared longingly at the winding branches. There were so many memories here.

"C'mon, slow poke!" Maka looked down at Soul from her branch above him. "I'm comin. Relax," Soul said calmly as he continued to climb at his own pace. Maka was sitting casually on a big branch at the top of the tree, when Soul finally pulled himself up on the adjacent branch.

"It sure is beautiful out here. I'm glad we found this place," Maka said as she looked out at the horizon.

"Yeah it is," Soul agreed gazing out at the beautiful view of the city.

"Hey." Maka said smiling.

"What?"

"Betcha can't get to that branch." Maka pointed to a relatively high branch that was slightly out of the way.

Soul looked up and shrugged. "Why bother? No need to go any higher."

Maka stood up and began to climb.

"What are you doing?" Soul said, concern growing in his voice.

"I want to sit on _that_ branch." Maka replied, reaching for the next highest branch.

"You idiot. You're going to kill yourself." Soul was now standing and watching her nervously.

"Don't be such a wimp, Soul." Maka said as she reached above her head for a limb. As she grabbed it, the limb snapped and she began to fall rapidly to the ground.

Without thinking, Soul leaned out and seized her cloak, "MAKA!"

He held on tightly, saving her from the fall. He reached for her hand, grabbed it, and began to pull her up. Maka was able to grasp his branch and climb up to safety.

They sat on that thick branch together, breathing heavily, until finally their eyes met. "…You ok," Soul asked.

"Maka, you comin'?" Black*Star asked, snapping Maka out of her daydream. She looked up at the branch from which she fell all those years ago…when Soul saved her.

Each member of the group scattered in the area around the tree. Black*Star used the trunk to quickly monkey his way to a thick branch. Tsubaki and Kid sat at the base of the tree. Liz stood with her arms crossed leaning against the trunk while looking out over the valley below the cliff.

Patty and Maka sat on the ground, dangling their legs off of the edge of the cliff. Wes and Ally walked casually over to Maka's other side and Wes sat down right beside her while Maka continued to stare down into the valley below.

"Nice day, huh?" Wes said smiling looking over towards Maka.

She continued to focus on the ground below, refusing to make eye contact with him. "Mm? Oh yeah. Nice day," she said without deviating her stare.

The whole gang pretended to be interested in other things but everybody was listening intently on the interaction between Maka and Wes.

"Nice to see you again. It's been a while." Wes continued.

Maka was silent for a while. "Nice to see you too, Wes," she said as she picked herself up off the ground. She put her hands in her jacket pockets and began to walk away from the group, unable to handle the current situation.

Wes closed his eyes and sighed. He looked down at the grassy, green floor below and put his arms on his knees in defeat.

"Don't worry, Wes. She will come around," Tsubaki said.

He rose to his feet and began to walk in the same direction Maka was headed. "I need to talk to her alone," he said, warning everybody to stay away.

* * *

Maka didn't really know where she was going. She just wanted to get away from them; away from him. His appearance was very overwhelming. She has forgotten how much they looked alike. It might as well have been Soul sitting beside her on that cliff… just looking at him was far too painful to bear.

Maka kept a steady pace away from the group. She was desperate to be alone and really hoped that nobody followed her.

Then suddenly, his voice echoed in the distance, "Maka!". Maka cringed. _Man…even his voice sounds the same._

She didn't answer as her pace hastened. _Please…just go away…_

"Maka," he called again, quickening his stride in order to catch up with her. "Please, stop and hear me out."

Maka's pace didn't wane. She called out, "It's not you ok, Wes. Please."

"Look I get it, alright," he yelled, undeterred in his determination to reach her. "But can't I just talk to you for a second? Why are you running away from me?"

Maka didn't stop. She didn't know what to do or say. So, she stayed silent, quickening her pace once more.

"I understand that you are still in a lot of pain. He was my brother! So, I'm still hurting too…Please, I need to talk to you."

Maka stopped suddenly. Her gaze remained on the ground in front of her as he slowly approached her from behind.

"Maka…"

Maka didn't say anything; she only continued to stare at the ground in front of her feet. He walked around her and waited for her to look up at him. She didn't.

"Do you know how much it hurts that you can't even look me in the eye? We've been friends for so long..."

Maka continued to stare at the ground without responding.

His head tilted to the side as he studied her. He finally shook his head as he said, "I just want to say one thing and I'll leave you alone, ok? You don't have to talk to me or look at me if that makes you uncomfortable… But I want you to know that every day since then, I've always thought about you…and hoped you were ok. I never once believed you were guilty. People around here are so vile and ignorant…all those allegations… and I fully believe that the truth will come out. I know you could never have hurt him."

She still didn't say anything or look at him.

He sighed and continued, "I just want you to be ok. That's really all I care about now. It's not fair for you to have suffered so much. You deserve to be happy…and I want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever need anyone to reach out to."

He waited for a response but never received one.

"You were really good for Soul…" he continued. "…and I appreciate that. I wish you knew how grateful I truly am. Whatever happened out there that day…it wasn't your fault. So, you need to quit blaming yourself." He placed a hand on Maka's shoulder and whispered, "thanks, Maka." He put his hand in his pockets and continued to walk back towards the group.

Maka blinked allowing a single tear to drip down her cheek. She turned and called out to him weakly, "Wes…"

Wes stopped and turned toward her.

"I'm really sorry…" she collapsed on her knees to the ground and began to cry. "I'm sorry…"

He ran over to her, bent down, and placed a hand on her back. "Maka, listen to me…you have nothing to be sorry for. Stop."

She sat back on her knees and looked at him through her glossy eyes. "I lost him…"

Tears began to form in Wes' eyes when he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her in close to him. "Maka. Stop."

Maka wrapped her arms around him. Her tears slowed. Her heart panged with…well she really couldn't describe it. She smelled him. She felt him. It was like he was there with her again…like she was hugging Soul. She didn't ever want to let go.

She backed away and stared into his eyes in amazement. Her cheeks were still wet from crying. After a few seconds of her uninterrupted staring, he grinned at her and lightly laughed. "…what?"

She slightly smiled. "Sorry…it's just… you just remind me so much of him."

The corner of his mouth twisted upwards into a small smile. "Yeah, well, I oughta. I'm his twin."

She smiled and looked down at the ground. She suddenly raised her head to look back up at him. "…can I hug you again?"

He laughed and opened his arms. "Of course!"

Maka's arms gently wrapped around his body as she tried to savor the moment. Wes stayed still as she laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. His mouth crept into a small smile as she backed away and looked at him again.

"This is so crazy…" Maka said as her smile faded away. She stood up, crossed her arms, and turned away from Wes. "I'm sorry, Wes. It's hard to look at you without…" her voice drifted off.

Wes stood and slowly stepped forward towards her. "I'm going to remind you of him, Maka. It's inevitable. Are you going to be able to handle that?" He asked.

Without turning to look at him, she slightly smiled. She took a breath of air in as she turned and said, "…yeah. I think so."

"Good," he said smiling.

Maka walked past him to the edge of the cliff and sat down. Wes followed her lead and sat beside her.

"Soul and I used to come out here all the time…" she said while staring out at the mountain peaks in the distance.

Wes chuckled. "Oh yes, I know all about this place…He called it 'the spot'."

Maka laughed. "Yes, yes the spot. That's what we called it. Not really an interesting name…"

Maka and Wes continued to stare at the scenery surrounding them as Maka thought about what she wanted to say next.

"You know…I want to thank you…" she said without looking over at him.

He glanced at her as his eyes widened. "Thank me? For what," he asked curiously.

She smiled without severing her focus from the valley below. "…For believing in me…It really means a lot..."

He smirked and continued to stare out into the wilderness. "No need to thank me. I know the truth. Someday everybody will."

Maka paused for a bit to listen to the many sounds of the forest. The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees around them. "I still miss him…" Maka said staring even harder at the valley floor. "I'm not sure if it will ever get better…"

Wes' eyes softened. "It'll get better. I miss him too."

* * *

Black*Star tapped his fingers on the branch of the tree. "Well this is some bullshiggity…I want to know what's going on."

"Patience, Black*Star. Patience…" Tsubaki said.

"Yeah, will you relax? This could be good for Maka," Liz said looking up into the tree.

"Well, I would have already snuck my way over there to creep on them, if it weren't for SOME PEOPLE trying to thwart my plan."

"Will you shut...your… mouth?" Liz snapped back.

They heard murmuring coming from the direction of which Maka and Wes disappeared into the trees. Everybody snapped their heads to look over.

Maka and Wes were laughing together while walking back to the clearing.

"Hey!" Black*Star jumped down to the ground and quickly ran over to them. "What's goin on, eh? Does this mean everything is good now?"

Maka giggled. "Yes, Black*Star, we were actually just talking about you, coincidentally."

"Oh really? What about!?"

Maka and Wes exchanged glances and began to laugh hysterically.

"Oh alright, that isn't cool." Black*Star complained while following them over to the clearing.

The atmosphere around the group was much lighter after Maka and Wes had their conversation. They headed back into town with some pep in their step.

They were nearly back to Maka's apartment when Stein suddenly appeared in front of them. "Hello, again. Pardon my intrusion."

"Hey, professor!" Tsubaki said while everybody nodded or waved acknowledging his greeting. "Maka, how are you?" He asked.

All eyes focused on Maka as she answered, "I'm fine, professor. Thank you."

"Good, good. I wanted to mention it before it got away from me, that the DWMA fall ball is this Friday. I'm sure I can speak for everyone as we would hope you would attend."

Maka's cheeks began to glow a deep red. "Oh, um…."

"She will be there, professor." Black*Star said with his arms crossed.

"Wait…I…" Maka started.

"Tsubaki will help you get a dress, Maka." Black*Star said, interrupting her.

"But I…"

"I will!" Tsubaki said excitedly. "I'll help too." Liz added.

"Wait…"

"Me too!" Patty jumped up and down excitedly.

"Hold on!" Maka yelled. "Don't I get a say?"

Everybody paused to look at Maka. "No." Black*Star casually stated. "She will be there, professor. Thanks for the invite!" Black*Star clutched Maka's arm and started to lead her down the cobbled stone street towards her apartment while Maka hissed in protest.

"I'm NOT going to that ball, Black*Star!"

"Yes, yes you are, my dear."

Maka forced her arm out of Black*Star's grip and angrily turned toward him. "Why are you doing this to me?!"

Black*Star nonchalantly stared at her and let out a sigh.

"You are just going to be so stubborn about this, aren't you?" Maka rolled her eyes and began to walk heatedly up the steps to her apartment. She managed to get the door open when Black*Star said. "So, you are going, right…"

"You don't get it, do you?!" Maka snapped and turned around furiously to meet his gaze. "I'm not going to go to some stupid ball so I can be mocked and ridiculed. NO, thank you! I refuse. Why don't you freaking understand?! JUST GO AWAY!" She slammed the door and immediately hit the floor in tears.

A few minutes went by when she heard a knock at the door. "Go away, Black*Star," she called out. "Maka…" Her stomach dropped. That voice again… It's as if Soul is right on the other side of the door. Maka massaged the bridge of her nose with two fingers as she thought to herself, _this is beginning to mess with my head a little bit._

She picked herself up off the floor and opened the door without thinking. She peeked out at Wes who was alone. "May I come in?"

Maka opened her door without saying anything; her cheeks were still wet from crying.

"Listen…Black*Star is an idiot, we all know that…" He paused for a second to gauge her reaction. Maka simply listened.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it would mean a lot to me if you went to the ball. I think it will actually be good for you to get out and try to have some fun. You know we are all there for you. We aren't going to let anyone say anything to you. Lord Death will be there and he especially won't tolerate it…"

Maka looked up at him.

He put his hands together in a prayer gesture. "So, please…come to the ball? For me?"

Maka studied Wes' face. She couldn't help but imagine that the person in front of her was none other than Soul asking her to go to the ball. He strongly resembled what Soul looked like two years ago except a little older, taller, and a little more muscular. His snowy white, messy hair framed his defined features of his face from his slim cheeks to his strong jaw. He stared at her with those fiery crimson eyes - the ones she had been so familiar with two years before. She resisted the urge of reaching out to touch his fair skin on his cheek. He reminded her so much of Soul, she simply didn't have the heart to decline his request.

Maka crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, disappointed in herself. "…Fine."

Wes smiled widely. "…Ok then. Cool. I'm sure Tsubaki will want to take you shopping."

Maka rolled her eyes again. "…Yay," she said unenthusiastically as Wes laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure this looks right, Tsubaki?" Maka was messing with the sleeves of the teal blue dress Tsubaki picked out for her to try on. "Yeah, I'm really not feeling it. I don't like the style," Tsubaki said while analyzing Maka.

"Ugh this is hopeless…I'm really not good at this kind of thing."

Tsubaki sighed, "be patient, Maka. We will find you a dress. This takes time."

"We've been at this for hours now and haven't even come close to making a decision."

Liz and Patty strolled up and shrugged. "We didn't find anything…sorry, Maka."

"Ok. That's it. I'm not going." Tsubaki immediately interrupted her. "Wait…" Tsubaki was staring at the corner past Maka's shoulder. Maka turned around to follow her gaze. "What?"

"What's that?"

Maka couldn't immediately tell what she was referring to. "What's what? Where?"

"THAT!" Tsubaki said strolling over to a long, slim, black gown with long sleeves and a thigh high slit for the right leg.

She pulled it off of the rack and held it out for Maka to try on. "…That?" Maka said without taking it.

"Just try it on, what do you have to lose?"

"Here! Try it on with these." Liz grabbed a pair of stiletto heels that hooked at the ankle and gave them to Maka.

Maka stared back at them in disbelief. "Really, guys?"

"Just do it!" Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki yelled simultaneously.

Maka retreated back into the changing room reluctantly. After she slipped on the dress and shoes, she gazed upon her reflection in the mirror. Maka had to admit to herself that she looked decent in this one. She also appreciated that it was a pretty modest pick even with the slit. She finally gained the courage and hesitantly stepped out into the open.

Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty gasped at how amazingly stunning Maka looked.

"Oh my gosh…That's perfect. You look absolutely amazing….and I don't just say that lightly. You've definitely filled out quite a bit in the past two years," Liz said.

"You look like a model. Really, Maka." Tsubaki added.

"Honestly, I'm shocked at how beautiful you are in this," Liz said.

"Gee. I see what you thought of me…" Maka rolled her eyes.

They all laughed. "Not what we mean, dummy. You do look really, really good. You're definitely wearing this," Liz said.

"Yay…can we go home now?" Maka asked.

* * *

Black cloth with shiny silver stars lined the walls of the ballroom. The refreshment tables had black and silver tablecloths with black and silver ribboned balloons floating above them. The guys wore suits and ties while the women wore formal gowns. It was a lovely sight to see.

Outside, the weather was awful. A thunderstorm was rolling through and every so often there was a flash of lightning through the windows and a loud rumble that overpowered the music.

Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, and Patty all stood around in the ballroom anxiously waiting on Liz and Maka to arrive.

"Man, why are they late?" Black*Star asked.

"Will you relax? They'll be here," Tsubaki said.

Wes and Ally strolled up. "Hey, where's Maka?" Ally asked.

"Liz stayed behind to help Maka get ready. They said they were going to meet us here," Tsubaki said.

The group watched as couples took to the dance floor and began to sway back and forth with each other. The gowns of the girls beautifully waved to the beat of the music. Black*Star held out a hand to Tsubaki. "In the meantime, wanna dance?" Tsubaki grinned, "Yes, thank you." The two headed off arm in arm towards the group of dancing couples.

Kid turned toward Patty and bowed with his hand out. "Would you like to dance?" He looked up to notice Patty wasn't paying attention at all. Her focus was on the entrance to the ballroom and she had a wide smile across her face. Many people had begun to glance over that way.

Kid stopped to look over in the direction of the entrance and his eyes grew wide. Liz was walking proudly with a smile on her face into the ballroom. Walking next to her was…Maka?

Maka's golden hair draped over her shoulders in long vivacious curls. Her gown formed perfectly over her matured body. The stiletto heels she wore emphasized her calf muscles that flashed when she walked due to the slit in the dress, resembling that of a model. She was breathtaking walking in.

Black*Star and Tsubaki stopped to stare. Black*Star's mouth fell to the floor while Tsubaki laughed joyfully.

"Maka! Holy shit is that you?" Black*Star ran over to her. "You really grew up; how did I not notice? Tsubaki…nice job!" Black*Star called.

Ally stepped up, "Wow Maka, you look amazing!"

Wes simply gazed at her not saying anything.

Maka looked over at him. "Uh, hi, Wes."

"…Hi," was all he managed to say as he stared at her.

Maka laughed. She was suddenly grabbed by Liz to go get some punch.

"See I told you, you were going to be a hit…So many people are staring at you," she said.

"Not sure if that's because of the dress though...People think I'm a murderer remember."

Liz looked around. "Yeah 99% of the guys in here are staring at you, I'm pretty sure It's not because of that."

"Maybe we should have picked something a little more drab…I hate being stared at." Maka said while hunching over, hoping to ward off some attention.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Maka. Quit slouching. Wear that dress proudly! You look good girl!"

As they made their way back to the group with punch, the song ended and a new, slower selection began.

Tsubaki and Black*Star reattended the dance floor once more. Kid and Patty headed towards it. Ally left Wes to go talk to another group of girls and Liz ran off somewhere. Wes and Maka were the only ones left. G _reat_ …Maka thought.

Wes leaned on the wall in the corner as Maka glanced at him. She noticed his suit...It was solid black, not pinstriped. She sighed in disappointment. Still though, his appearance sent chills up her spine. He stood up and started to step closer to her with his hands in his pockets. "Maka, you look…wow." He said smiling as he walked behind Maka to her other side. She glanced over at him. "Oh shut up."

"No really. That dress looks good on you," he said while staring at the group of couples dancing.

"Why, thank you…You don't look half bad yourself." Maka smirked.

He laughed. "So…Ally said she doesn't want to dance with me at all tonight," he said, changing the subject. Maka grinned and looked over at him slyly. "Why ever would she not want to dance with you?"

"I don't know, but…I can't just _not_ dance with anyone tonight. I mean, look at me; I got all dressed up for…nothing?" The corner of his lips twisted upward into a sly smile.

Maka sighed. "Do you want to dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said while holding his hand out for her to take it.

Maka grabbed his hand and followed him as he escorted her to the dance floor.

He placed his right hand on her back, while she placed her left on his shoulder. The other hands held each other and Wes began to lead. Maka could tell he knew what he was doing. Maka, on the other hand, really didn't quite know what the hell she was doing. "Sorry if I screw up," she said bluntly.

He laughed. "It's alright. You're doing fine."

Maka closed her eyes. Her mind was playing tricks on her once more. His face, his body, his smell…everything about him screamed Soul. Her body wanted to be closer to him, but she fought against that urge. _This is Wes. This is NOT Soul._ She kept having to repeat it to herself.

"So, are you glad I asked you to come to this thing," Wes asked. Maka snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him. "…What? Oh yeah…yeah, definitely," she said.

He laughed again. "What were you thinking about?"

Maka felt her cheeks grow hot. "Me? Nothing! Absolutely, nothing. I'm just enjoying the music, that's all."

Wes smiled. "Uh huh. Sure," he said sarcastically. As he said it, he held her even closer to his body. Maka's face grew even warmer than it was as more chills shivered down her spine. She had to admit, Soul's brother was much more charming than Soul ever was...and she liked it. Her stomach was in knots.

Why was she feeling this way? _This is Soul's brother. He is with Ally._ _Maka, you stop it right now._

Suddenly, another boy confidently tapped Wes on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"

Wes stopped, looked at him, and looked down at Maka. "Maka?" Inside she was screaming _NO!_ but she deceptively let out an energetic "Yeah, sure!"

Wes walked back to the original group's spot as Maka watched him longingly.

The boy she was dancing with babbled on about his life and asked Maka a few questions here and there but she was hardly paying attention. She was focused only on what Wes was doing. Wes leaned casually in the corner as the song played on. Occasionally he would watch the dance floor and glance towards Maka. Maka got butterflies in her stomach when Wes would look toward her.

Maka was smiling to herself, watching Wes, when she saw another girl approach him and began to talk to him. Maka felt a fire start to burn inside of her. _Oh gosh, something is actually wrong with me…_ she thought to herself. _Am I seriously jealous right now?_

"…So, what are your hobbies? What do you like to do," the boy asked. Maka looked up at him. "Oh uh…I like watching movies…" She glanced over at Wes and saw him laughing with this woman. "…And I like…shopping," she said, offering typical girly answers so she didn't have to think about it.

The boy spun her around so she couldn't see Wes anymore. Her eyes burned with fire as she started to lead him in the dance. She spun him back around to where she was facing Wes once more.

Wes and the girl were no longer there, though. Maka began to glance around the ballroom frantically looking for the pair. _Where'd he go? Where'd he go?!_

Suddenly a flash of white caught her eye. He was _dancing_ with that woman. _Gasp._

Maka's eyes narrowed toward the sight of betrayal. _Hell no._ Maka paused for a moment to ponder the situation. _Wait. What is going on here? Stop. Stop being jealous. He is with Ally. He has no feelings for anyone but her. You stop. You're being ridiculous…_ The voice in her head kept telling her.

Maka began to laugh at herself. The boy looked at her curiously. "What's so funny?" Maka continued to dance as she answered, "Oh nothing…I just saw something funny. It was nothing."

When the song ended, the boy thanked Maka and returned to wherever he came from. Maka walked back to the group's original position in the corner of the ballroom.

Another song began to play that was a little more upbeat this time. Black*Star and Tsubaki remained on the dance floor. Kid and Liz decided to give it a go this time. Patty, Ally, Wes, and Maka stayed in the corner.

Patty and Ally began to chat with each other and Wes once again looked over toward Maka. "So, how was your dance," he asked.

Maka smiled. "Much better than with you."

Wes grinned, "Oh please, you don't have to lie."

Maka laughed as he reached his hand out again. "How about it, care to try again?" Maka looked at him, desperately wanting to say yes, but she thought about her answer and looked over at Ally. "You sure that Ally doesn't want to dance with you?"

He turned toward Ally. "Hey, Ally. Do you want to dance?"

She frantically shook her head and began to gesture toward Maka. "You go."

Maka smiled and grabbed his hand and they were off again toward the dance floor.

Maka was following Wes' lead. _He actually is quite good at this._ Wes began to spin Maka around and caught her, flawlessly. "Whoa," Maka said. Wes smiled. "What? Didn't expect that?"

"Not really…Where did you learn how to dance?"

"I may have taken a lesson or two."

"or three or four…"

Wes laughed. "Yeah, something like that."

"So, I didn't get a chance to ask you…" Wes bowed his head so he could listen to Maka intently. "How was your dance?"

He lifted his head and said, "Ah. You saw that, huh?"

"Yeah, seems like you had fun," Maka added.

"Yeah, it surprised me. You know, she actually asked _me_ to dance. Weird huh? It's as if girls may actually recognize all this charm that I have." He said sarcastically.

Maka smiled to herself. _You don't realize how true that is. Hahah…oh my god, Maka. You are an idiot._

"Charm, you say?" Maka said sarcastically.

"Hey, you asked me to dance didn't you?"

Maka thought about it for a bit. "…Oh, yeah. So maybe…you're a little charming." _OH MY GOD, MAKA. YOU ACTUALLY ARE AN IDIOT._

"You really think so," he asked. Maka began to get very nervous.

"…Yeah. Much more charming than…" Maka stopped herself. _Stop. Just stop. For the love of all that is good and holy. Stop. You are ruining everything._

"Than Soul?" He stopped to look at her. Maka's eyes rested on his to gauge his reaction.

"I'm sorry..." she said as the song ended.

"Why? It's true," he said with a smile as he grabbed her to continue dancing to the slow song that began to play. He held her much closer this time.

Maka's heart was pounding furiously. She closed her eyes and felt the spasms of butterflies flapping around in her stomach. Wes swayed with her much more intimately than before. He was slightly rubbing her back and he leaned his jaw on her forehead as she rested her head on his chest. _He's so charming, he's giving off a 'more than friend' vibe for me._

Maka looked over at Ally. She was watching them. _Shit._ But she didn't look angry or annoyed. She looked…happy? Slightly smiling? _What in the world?_

After that song ended, Maka went with Liz and Tsubaki to the bathroom.

"So, Wes, huh?" Liz said nudging Maka.

"What? No. We are just friends."

"Oh yeah? That's not what I see."

"He's with Ally. We are friends! Stop it."

"He's not dancing with Ally tonight, Maka."

"That's because she doesn't _want_ to dance with him. Go ask her yourself."

"Uh huh…" Liz said implicatively. "Will you stoppppp?" Maka pleaded.

They walked back to the ballroom and Maka gazed over toward Wes. He was talking and laughing with Ally. Maka began to feel that pang of jealousy once more, and her smile faded from her face as she watched him.

 _What am I thinking? What am I doing? This could never work. He's not Soul and he will never be. He's Ally's; not mine._

She stopped before she reached the group. Liz turned around. "Maka, you coming?" Maka smiled and said, "yeah you go on, I'll be right there." Liz shrugged and turned toward the group no longer focusing on Maka.

Maka went over to a wall and continued to think. She realized that in the entire two years that Soul has been gone, she's never been happier than tonight. She looked up at the solitary reason for that. Wes put his arm around Ally and hugged her. Maka looked back down. She wanted to cry. _Why does this hurt so badly. I really am such an idiot. He belongs with her. My time to be happy…is gone. It's over. He's gone._

She will never be happy again without Soul. She realizes that now. She needs Soul. _For so long, I've buried my feelings for him but here they have resurfaced...and they are resurfacing for the wrong twin. What do I have left without him? Why go on? What's the point? I don't want to bear this burden anymore._

She glanced over toward the grand entrance of the ballroom. This time, it would be her grand exit.

* * *

Maka moved quickly towards the exit of the building. She didn't look back. She didn't want anyone to notice her or follow her.

"Wait ma'am, would you like for me to call you a cab?" The door attendant tried to reason with Maka before she dashed out into the rain. "No, no I'm fine. Thank you!" She began to jog, best she could in her heels. She knew where she was going.

She made her way to the forest…to the tree. Their tree.

She ran as fast as she could without stopping.

The rain drenched her dress, making it a thousand times heavier but she didn't care. She pressed onward into the vast darkness of the forest. If she didn't already know the layout of these trees like the back of her hand, she could have very easily gotten lost.

There was no way she could ever forget the location of that old magnolia tree, though. No way.

As the rain pressed on, so did she. The wind howled in her ears as she continued down the familiar dirt path. She ran until she finally saw the trunk, glistening with moisture.

Stopping a few feet from the trunk, she gazed upon its rigid structure while rapidly breathing. She reached out and lightly touched the palm of her hand to the bark. "Hi, old friend," she whispered.

The moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds illuminating the beautiful valley below with the shimmering river running through it.

She sat on the edge of the cliff, letting her feet dangle as her heart rate lowered to a normal pace again. She closed her eyes and sniffed the air, smelling the fresh smell of the evergreen around her. Vivid memories flashed through her mind once more…

"What are you doing out here so late?" Maka stepped out from the brush.

Soul, who was facing away from her with his arms crossed gazing out over the cliff, turned towards her. "Oh…you're here." He turned back towards the valley and continued to stare out into the wonderful landscape.

Maka walked to his side and glanced up at him. "What's wrong, Soul?"

"…Had a bad dream; wanted to take a walk," he said, not making eye contact with her. Maka stood beside him not deviating her gaze from his face. "Why are you awake," he asked.

"I heard you leave the apartment, so I had to see what you were up to." She looked out over the impressive valley.

"mm. Nosy rosy," he said smirking.

She grinned. "Yeah, care to tell me what's going on?"

Soul lifted his hands behind his head. "Mmm no."

Maka frowned. She was used to him not opening up to her about anything but she could feel something was really wrong. "C'mon Soul. You've been acting weird lately. I just want to know you're ok."

"I promise, I'm fine," he said with a sigh. "Go back home. I'll be there soon."

He continued to stare out into the summit of the valley below. She studied his face that glowed in the stream of the moonlight. He looked…sad, which, in turn, made her feel sad. She didn't want to press him further so she turned without saying anything and began to head back to the apartment.

Before she could get very far he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close to him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her silently. Without saying anything, Maka wrapped her arms around him. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

Maka opened her eyes as she entered back into reality. The rain camouflaged the tears that streamed down her face. She tugged her sleeve back and gazed at the faded red ribbon tied around her wrist. She gently touched it and smiled. She yanked it off and stood up.

She took her shoes off and turned to look down at the valley below. She grasped the sturdy branch of the tree that was directly above her head, sticking out over the edge of the cliff. The ribbon was flapping furiously in the wind as she placed an end of it between her palm and the branch. Her golden locks of hair and gown flowed in ripples of waves behind her.

This was it.

She held on to the branch tightly as more tears began to fall out of her eyes. She leaned far out over the ledge where her toes were barely touching the ground anymore. She began to count each breath she took; listen to each howl of the wind. She focused on the blur of trees below her as her fingers began to slowly unwind from the branch.

"Stop!"

She regripped the branch tightly and looked behind her towards the trunk of the tree. She knows that voice.

"…Stop. Please." Wes ascended from the shadows.

"Wes…please, don't involve yourself. Just go."

"You know I'm not going to do that."

Tears began to fall out of Maka's eyes as she stared into the valley below her.

Wes started to slowly walk towards her. "Don't, Wes! I'm going to do it." He stopped.

"Ok, ok. I'm not coming any closer but please hear me out. Whatever it is you are thinking…whatever is making you justify this decision, you are wrong. You are so wrong. Please don't do this."

"I don't need to justify anything. I'm just so tired. I'm tired of everything. I tried, ok. I really did."

"Please… If you just hold out a little longer, Death will tell you everything you need to know. Why are you going to end it before you find out what he has to say?"

Maka pondered that thought for a moment and shook her head.

"It doesn't really matter, at this point, Wes. Unless he can tell me what happened to Soul, I really don't care. And I don't think he can. I don't want to get my hopes up."

"You've waited so long for an answer…for something. For anything. And you are just going to throw all of that away? What if he _can_ tell you what happened to Soul?"

"Even if he knows what happened to him, I'm pretty sure it's quite clear that Soul is never coming back. What do I really have to lose at this point? I've lost everything."

"That's not true! You still have all your friends who care about you. I care about you. Please…just come back and we can talk through this."

Maka didn't say anything or move. She continued to stare down into the valley below her.

"I'm right here," Wes pleaded. "…I'm here for you, Maka. And I'm not going anywhere. Please… just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. Please don't do this."

Maka breathed for a couple of seconds as a single tear escaped her eye. "…Just go, please."

Wes gazed desperately at Maka as a tear began to form in the crease of his eye. He was quiet for a while just watching her, silently thinking about how fast he could get to her before she could let go. It was hopeless. He felt helpless; she could let go at any moment and he was too far away to reach her if she did.

Wes spoke clearly and calmly, "what if…what if I can tell you what happened to Soul..."

Maka didn't say anything at first. "What do you mean you can tell me what happened to Soul?"

"I have information that you'll want to hear."

"Wes…What are you talking about."

"Please, come back from the ledge and I'll tell you what I know. I swear on my life I'm not lying to you."

Curiosity began to burn Maka from the inside.

Maka turned her neck so that she could look at him. "You promise? That you'll tell me?"

Wes nodded and pleadingly choked out the words, "I promise on everything, I'll tell you. Just come back to me." Wes started to walk towards her, closing the gap between them.

Maka began to pull her way back to the ledge using the branch that she clung to when her hand suddenly slipped. She let out a terrible scream as she began to plunge to the valley below. Wes leapt and reached for her hand just in time. He caught her and yelled, "I got you!"

He pulled her up so fast that her body weight made him tumble backwards and she collapsed on top of him.

She laid on him for a bit as her adrenaline returned to normal.

"Are you okay?!" Wes asked, breathing rapidly.

"Yes, I'm ok…thanks," she breathed.

He reached up and grabbed her face as he stared into her eyes. "Don't you ever do that to me again. You hear me?!"

She narrowed her eyes angrily. "Tell me what you know about Soul."

"I will, but first, you have to tell me why you were about to kill yourself. You were so happy earlier, I don't understand. I just want to understand."

Maka blinked a couple of times and rolled off him. She sat up facing the cliff that she was about to leap from moments before. Wes sat up without taking his eyes off her.

She sighed. "The happiest I've felt in the past two years is dancing with my dead partner's twin brother, whom I started to develop feelings for as a replacement of what I really want."

She looked down. The rain covered the tear that dripped down her face.

Wes stared at her in silence listening to every word.

She looked back at him through the rain for a while before continuing.

"I look at you and Ally, and I get jealous. I am jealous she has what I don't. Something I had but can't get back… And I don't want to ruin what you have with her because of my stupid mixed feelings. It's so stupid and I'm really sorry…I just realize…I realize that...I loved him." Maka began to choke on her words. "I _loved_ him, Wes. And I can never get him back. He's gone. So, will I ever truly regain happiness? I don't think I will…"

Before she was done getting that last word out, Wes grabbed her and planted a strong kiss on her lips.

Maka's heart skipped a beat. His lips were soft and warm. It took her a second to realize exactly what was happening. At first, she didn't resist him - she wanted this. But then her brain kicked in and she immediately backed away. "WHAT are you doing!? What about Ally!?"

Wes didn't say anything. All he did was look down.

"How could you do that to her," Maka asked surprised.

"Will you forget about Ally, please?"

"Forget about Ally? What are you talking about?!"

"I don't want Ally, Maka. I want you."

"Don't say that, Wes! You don't mean that."

"For the love of… I'm NOT Wes!" His voice seemed to echo throughout the forest surrounding them and into the valley below.

Maka's heart stopped. All she could do was blink. She felt paralyzed. It took her a minute to process the words that just came out of his mouth.

"…What…" Maka spoke softly.

He was breathing deeply while watching her. His eyes focused on her face, gauging her reaction. He took in a breath.

"You heard me."

Tears began to well up in the crevice of Maka's eyes. Her lips were parted as she stared off into space.

"What did you just say?" She calmly spoke; she couldn't even look at him.

He pulled back his sleeve to reveal a faded green ribbon tied around his wrist and held it up to her eye. A tear crawled down Maka's cheek.

"It's me…"

Her eyes glazed over and stared into his soft eyes.

He gently took her hand and placed it delicately on his chest. Maka began to feel his soul.

"I'm here…" he whispered.

… _Soul…_

She fell forward into his chest and that was the last thing she remembered before waking up in the hospital room.


	6. Chapter 6

_Was that a dream?_ Maka's eyes fluttered open to a white hospital room. She squinted at the bright window that glowed from the beams of sunlight streaming in. Her eyes then focused to the white ceiling above.

 _Was it a dream?_

Maka started to sit up. Even though she was in the hospital, she felt perfectly fine. She looked down at her body. She no longer had her dress on but instead wore a hospital gown.

She desperately tried to remember as much as she could the night before. _There is no way that was real. It couldn't be. It had to have all been a dream._

At that moment, Stein walked into the room.

"Hello, Maka."

Maka simply nodded his way without saying anything.

"If you are feeling up to it, Death is ready for us in his chambers. He would like to speak to you. Are you ready to go ahead and do that?"

Maka nodded her head immediately.

"Ok. I believe Tsubaki left you some fresh garments over in the drawer. I will wait for you outside."

"Professor…"

Stein stopped to gaze towards Maka.

"Was it real?"

He didn't answer immediately. "…I will wait for you outside."

After a few minutes went by, she walked out of the hospital room and looked over at Stein. "I'm ready," she said.

They finally arrived at Lord Death's chamber and approached the large overbearing doors. They slowly opened, releasing an intoxicating mist out into the hallway.

Stein and Maka entered the chamber, and, to Maka's surprise, there was a plethora of people in the room. Maka noticed a circle of chairs in the middle of the chamber.

Maka began to look around at the faces of the crowd of people. Lord Death stood over in the corner with Spirit and a couple of other Death Scythes whom Maka recognized. The whole gang was there; Black*Star, Tsubaki, Wes, Ally, Kid, Liz, and Patty. Blair and Sid were there. Miss Marie, of course. Maka looked over at the other snowy-haired boy standing next to Spirit. _Is that…_

She glanced at Wes and then back at Soul as her heart rate increased. They looked just alike. She felt like she was going to faint all over again. _So…it's true._

Maka's lips parted as she sat down in the nearest chair, not taking her eyes off Soul. He silently stared back at her with a somber expression. People began to witness the blank stares issued between them.

The room grew quiet when Lord Death started to speak. "Welcome all, welcome! It seems our guest of honor has arrived; so, I think now is a good time to begin... I'll ask everyone pick and take a seat, please."

Soul sat across the circle from Maka still not severing his gaze from her. She continued to stare back at him.

Everybody else spread out among the open chairs.

"I will begin by saying, we wanted to wait until next week when every invited member of my intelligence agency and all members of my council could be here… but, in light of recent events, we had to urgently reschedule this to today. I thank all of you who dropped what you were doing to come immediately overnight. I also thank those of you who decided to come early and could be here today. Thank you.

Now, Maka. I realize the shock that you must be in right now, so I'm going to try and be sensitive to that. Feel free to stop me at any point and ask questions. I brought in everybody who, I believe, will be able to support me throughout my explanation to you.

First, allow me to give a summary of who is in this room. The folks you don't recognize are agents of my Intelligence Units. They are constantly working to gather intel about the current threats that exist in the world that need to be brought to the attention of the DWMA. Some are meisters, some are weapons, and some are even human. You have already met Rin Sid. He is a very skilled human agent who I asked to keep an eye on you for me, Maka."

Maka's eyes snapped away from Soul and over to her Master. She looked even more shocked. "Master?!"

He smiled back at her and nodded. Lord Death continued as if he weren't interrupted.

"Others here are members of my council. We discuss what should be done when threats are found, especially high-level threats.

I'm going to start from the very beginning - and to everybody else in this room, if you feel I have left something out, feel free to interrupt me and add whatever you deem necessary."

Death paused briefly.

"Before I begin, Maka, let me ask…are you prepared to receive this information or should we give you some time?"

Maka's focus shifted back to Lord Death. She slowly nodded. "I'm ready," she said.

"Alright…Where should I begin…Ah, yes. let's go back to the time before Soul disappeared when he reached the rank of Death Scythe. You two were causing quite a stir and were quite popular. In 3 months, you had already completed 13 highly dangerous missions for me…that's unheard of around here."

People in the room began to clap and cheer.

"Yes, yes. It was extraordinary, as everybody knows…. But."

"Ah shit, there's a but." Black*Star commented loudly.

"SHHHH," Tsubaki hushed him.

"Yes, there's a but," continued Death. "Unfortunately, it also caught the attention of the enemy. You recall the last mission I sent you two on, was a follow up on those Kishin eggs?"

Maka nodded.

"Well those Kishin eggs we sent you to check on, weren't actually Kishin eggs. They are known to be full fledge Kishin and were at the time. We've known about them since before their transformation, way before we sent you two on a mission to engage them.

They were once meisters at the DWMA just like yourself. They went rogue...began feeding their weapons pure human souls. They finally overpowered their weapon's wavelengths and merged with them to complete the Kishin transformation. We have reason to believe that they were forced to go through with the transformation by a third unknown individual. You see, we don't think it's a duo. We think it is actually a trio."

Maka's eyes grew wide

"As of right now, we don't know if this individual is in fact Kishin themselves. The third has been under the radar, using the two Kishins to do his or her bidding. We believe, though, that this third person is not done and their plan is to ultimately build a Kishin army…with _my_ meisters and weapons. The evidence suggests that you and Soul were their next target.

This group is smart. They've been very cautious about what they do and very calculative when it comes to planning their next moves. They also seem to be picky. Not just looking for anyone to form their Kishin army. They are slow in their movements. Slow in their plans. They are highly dangerous."

Death paused waiting for a question from Maka. She remained silent so he continued.

"So, this leads into the next phase - What to do with this information. With each passing mission you completed, the threat level increased and became much more tangible, ultimately increasing the potential danger for both of you. My intelligence agents worked endlessly to track these two and it was nearly impossible. With such a high threat and so many unknowns, we figured we had to take immediate action in order to keep you safe. Three weeks before you went on that last mission with Soul, we called him into my Death chamber for an important meeting just like this one."

Maka felt her heart drop.

"We had to do this in an inconspicuous way so that the Kishins would not know we were on to them. We ultimately decided that the best course of action would be to remove one of you from the picture. If we removed both, it might alert them…So we came up with a plan - The mission that you were sent on. We hoped that the news media reporting that they were Kishin eggs would help deviate any suspicion that we knew anything more about them. Soul would go missing leaving you, his meister, rendered powerless. If we were right in our theory about the third person wanting to build a Kishin army, he or she would lose interest in you, since you were no longer of value in that area.

So, for a while, the activity of the Kishins died down. They laid low…longer than we anticipated. We expected them to change course of action, not cut off all action. It was a bit bizarre. After I sent you off to school and your location was unknown, they really went silent. We believe they did figure out that we knew about them targeting you. Far smarter than we thought, it seems. The weird part was now, two years later, they resurfaced. We have reason to believe that they found your location, Maka, and were again targeting you, even without Soul.

So, this is where we are now. I had to bring you back because it was again, dangerous for you. There is no point in keeping Soul underground anymore considering they still targeted you without him."

A strong pain started in Maka's stomach and made its way to her throat. Maka's eyes began to well up with tears.

"The Kishins…it must have been their madness wavelength that I felt then…" Maka said.

Everybody in the room focused on Maka.

"What, my dear? Please elaborate."

Maka's eyes were fixated on Lord Death as she swallowed. She spoke softly, trying to hide the pain in her voice.

"The night before you called me back here, I had a sort of...incident…in my dorm room. I couldn't sleep so I got up to get some water and my head began to hurt really badly, crippling me to the floor. I heard a voice in my head that said, 'we will find you.' That must have been them…"

"Yes, so it would seem. That's very interesting. In light of everything, my council and I will discuss actions going forward. These Kishins are at the top of our list."

Maka blinked forcing a tear to roll softly down her cheek.

"Why was Soul at the ball last night and not Wes? Did everybody but me know about this," Maka asked as her eyes shifted over to the gang.

"I can answer that, Death." Stein stood up and interlocked his fingers together in front of him as he explained the situation to Maka.

"The only people who knew about this plan were me, Soul, Spirit, Sid, Lord Death, Marie, the council members, and several members of the intelligence agency. Nobody else knew.

It was my idea to switch Soul out with Wes for the ball. He was very worried about the pending date to reveal the truth to you and anxious about how you would react. Since it has been two years, and I feel he deserved it, I wanted to give him one night without worry…a night among friends. I brought Wes and Ally up to speed on everything and they agreed to let Soul take Wes' place at the ball. It was all my doing."

"And before the ball…was that Wes?" Maka asked.

Stein nodded. "Soul was Wes just for the ball."

A couple of seconds of silence went by before Death said, "Thank you, Stein." Stein retook his seat next to Soul.

"…So…why was I left in the dark about the plan?" Maka quietly asked.

The whole room sat in silence waiting on Death's answer.

"We went back and forth on what we should do. When we concluded that only one of you were to be removed, we had to make sure it looked as authentic as possible. The only way to do that was to keep you in the dark. Trust that it was not an easy decision."

"So, when you called Soul up for the meeting, did you instruct him to follow your plan or else? Did he have a choice?"

Death hesitated to answer.

"We gave Soul a choice to not go along with the plan. Of course, that would have put both of you in danger, so he agreed to it. I want you to realize how difficult of a decision it was for him to make, Maka. He chose to go along with it to keep you both out of harm's way."

Maka closed her eyes and raised her face towards the ceiling. Tears began to form in her eyes once more.

"So, you couldn't have told me?"

"I understand you are upset, Maka. You have every reason to be…"

Maka sniffed. She didn't want to cause a scene, so she sat in silence for a couple seconds to breathe.

"Where has he been all this time?" She managed to choke out, changing the subject.

"He's been in an underground containment center buried here at the DWMA. Far deeper than where Asura was being held."

Maka couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and threw her hands over her face. "oh, God…So he was here the entire time?" She coldly stared at Death for a while until finally, she shook her head in frustration and fiercely turned toward the doors of the chambers.

Soul stood up prepared to chase her. "Maka, wait," Lord Death commanded. Maka froze. "Before you go, please let me speak my peace."

Maka didn't move as she waited patiently for him to continue.

"I understand the predicament this has put you in. This was your home and you were wrongly accused and exiled. Please understand that your being on a mission together seemed to be the most natural way for him to disappear. I am truly sorry for the suffering this has caused you, Maka. You have a right to be angry and hurt. I ask you to please keep your anger directed at me and my council as we were the ones to have made the ultimate decision. Do not misplace your anger on Soul. He did it to save you, as any honorable weapon would do for their meister. I beg of you, if you do not forgive me…at least forgive him. Your partnership was built upon years of hard work. Don't throw that away…don't let this come between you."

Maka didn't move. She stood there in silence, listening. Breathing. She sighed and continued to walk towards the exit.

Soul took a step towards her as Stein held him back. "Let her go…" Death said.

The doors opened and shut behind her.

"She'll come around, Soul. Give her some time," Death said reassuringly. "In the meantime, I think there are some people here who want to see you…"

The gang anxiously walked over to Soul. Tsubaki stepped forward with tears in her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're ok…" she said.

Liz and Patty joined in on the hug. "Soul, I can't believe it's you…" Liz said.

All three girls were in tears. Soul let go of them and smiled, "I missed you guys."

He glanced over at Black*Star. "You grew up," Soul said.

Black*Star grinned. "So did you." A tear leaked out of Black*Star's eye as he grabbed Soul for a hug. "We missed you, man…"

Soul smiled and returned the hug. "Yeah, me too."

"Glad to have you back, Soul." Kid said.

Wes strolled over. "I'm sorry, brother. She will come around, like Death said."

Soul looked over at Wes and Ally and reached up to massage the muscles in his neck. "Thanks again, you guys…for letting me go to the ball…"

Ally smiled. "It's not a problem at all. It was so great watching you two dance. She will come back to you, Soul. Don't worry about that."

* * *

Maka slammed her hand down on the bed. Her eyes were wet and puffy from crying over the past several hours. She paced around the apartment confused and frustrated by the slew of mixed emotions swirling around in her head. Should she be mad? Or happy? At the moment, she felt irritated and angry partly because she didn't know what to feel. What was the appropriate response to this?

Maka stopped and stared at the ground. Should she hate him? No…she could never hate him.

She made her way back into the bedroom and furiously stuffed the rest of the clothes into her bag. She paused suddenly as she heard the apartment door gradually open and gently close.

She waited for a moment to see if she could hear footsteps approaching her room. She heard nothing and decided to get up and investigate.

Slowly, she walked out into the living room. Her eyes focused on the doorway and her body went instantly numb.

There he was, leaning his back against the door with glazed eyes staring blankly toward her. All they could do was stare at each other.

The pain began in Maka's stomach again as she glared at him. Her mind revisited how he looked before he disappeared and compared it to his appearance now. Two years really made a difference. He was taller. More mature. Handsome. She couldn't believe it was really him - the boy she had been searching for all this time. He's finally in front of her and she couldn't feel more sick.

She wanted to run to him… throw her arms around him. But at the same time, she felt an insatiable urge to hit him for all the pain he's caused her. To hurt him. Make him feel the same pain; make him suffer. So, she pushed…

She looked away and closed her eyes. "What do you want?"

Without moving, he swallowed. "Two years…and that's all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say," she calmly asked as she shifted her eyes back towards him.

"I just…want you to be happy. I don't want you to hurt anymore…That's all I want." Maka's heart fluttered when he said that. But it wasn't enough.

"That's all you want," Maka repeated.

"I'm sorry," he said, cutting her off.

Maka's eyes began welling up with tears again as she shrugged. "For what? I don't care anymore."

She backed out of the room and swiftly grabbed her backpack off the bed. She came back into the living room and made her way towards the door. She stopped inches away from him.

"Will you please move," she asked without looking at him.

"Will you please stay?" Her eyes snapped toward him as her heart fluttered again. His ruby eyes pierced through her heart and sent shivers down her spine.

She wanted to grab him. To hug him. To kiss him. To tell him she missed him. But her pride barred her from any of that. He needed to suffer. So again, she pushed.

"Stay? Oh, you want me to stay?" Her voice began to rise out of anger. "That's extremely fascinating coming from you."

"Maka, please," he begged. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him.

"Move," she said coldly and stubbornly.

Soul analyzed her eyes and sighed as he looked down in defeat. He hesitantly moved away from the door. Maka grabbed the handle and aggressively swung it open. Without looking at him she quickly descended the steps.

He followed her.

"So that's it then? Is this where it ends, Maka?"

Maka didn't reply, she continued walking toward the street at the end of the cobblestone walk.

"I'm going to follow you until you answer me."

She turned around rapidly. "Quit following me. I mean it."

"I'm not going to do that." She interrupted his sentence by shoving him backwards. Nearby people have begun to watch the scene. Maka noticed the whole gang in the distance watching…they must have come with him.

"What do you want from me, Soul? I only wish you knew the pain that I went through. But you won't ever know. You won't ever understand. I can't explain it to you."

She began to walk away. Soul started to follow her again. "I want us to be ok, Maka. I'll leave you alone if you tell me that we can be ok again."

"How could I promise that? Stop following me! I am trying to get the hell out of here and away from you!" Maka's anger began to surface. She began to feel a blind rage; she just wanted him to suffer as much as she did. She dropped her backpack and swung at him. He dodged the hit. She came around with her other arm and he caught it.

"Maka…," he said as she continuously tried to hit him. She spun around in a full 360 and brought her leg up to eye level, attempting to kick him in the head. He dodged every move she threw at him.

"Maka, please. I'm not trying to fight with you!"

She threw another punch, ignoring him. She didn't stop coming at him. With every punch or kick he dodged, she began to grow more tired.

Maka bent over her knees to breathe.

"Are you done yet," Soul asked coldly.

She held up two fingers. "Two years. Two years, Soul…" she harshly said as she pointed at him. "YOU left me for two years. And you have the gall to ask me to stay here, for you…" Her voice steadily rose out of anger. "TWO YEARS I was alone wondering if you were dead…agonizing that you were gone…I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD," she screamed as tears streamed down her face.

Soul stared at her with a painful frog in his throat. They stayed that way for a while, just breathing.

Soul finally sighed. "…Will punching me make you feel better?" He whispered, not breaking his gaze from her.

Maka looked up at him without saying anything. Soul took a step towards her.

"Do it then…" he said, sternly. She stood upright, gazing upon him. Suddenly, she swung swiftly towards his face. She landed a blow against his jaw with as much force as she could muster, forcing his face in the direction of the punch. He didn't flinch or move. He simply closed his eyes.

He finally opened them and looked back towards her.

"Are you done," he whispered as a tear fell down his cheek.

Maka couldn't look at him. She didn't want to punch him. She didn't want to be mad at him. But the pain in her heart was strong. She couldn't let go of the rage inside of her. So, she pushed…

"You're not even sorry…" she whispered coldly.

He swallowed. He was about to answer when… "Hey, Maka."

Both of their heads snapped toward the low-toned greeting. Soul's eyes widened at the approaching boy. Maka slightly smiled towards him, "Hey, Nick." Soul eyed him without speaking.

"You ready to go? Car is parked that way." He pointed.

"Yeah just give me a minute, I'll be right there."

"Hey, is everything ok? You seem kinda upset?" Nick's eyes wandered toward Soul who coldly stared back.

"Everything's fine. I'll be right there," Maka said.

Soul closed his eyes. It was as if there was a firm grip in his chest that tightened and burned. He breathed in slowly to mitigate the pain.

Nick nodded and turned to start walking back towards the car.

"Who's that," Soul asked.

She looked over at Soul and bent down to pick up her backpack. "Not like it's any of your business, but that's Nick and he's taking me back to school."

Soul's eyes reflected with pain. It hurt Maka to look at him.

She slowly turned and began to walk away from Soul towards Nick.

Soul caught Maka's wrist making her spine tingle once more. She turned toward him. "I am sorry!" he yelled out.

He looked away. "I'm not sorry I did it, because if it protected you then it was worth it. But I am sorry that I caused you so much pain. And I wish I could take it back. I really wish I could…"

Maka gazed at him through misty eyes. Her heart was pounding. She desperately wanted to embrace him. To tell him it's ok. Tell him that they would be ok. But she couldn't let him get away with it that easily. Her pride, again, rebelled against her wishes.

She spitefully pulled her arm out of his grip and turned around to continue walking towards Nick.

Soul again followed. "Maka, you need to stay here. It's too dangerous for you to be away from the Academy."

Maka didn't stop. "Please, just go, Soul…"

"Please listen to me. I'll go! You stay."

"I'm leaving." She said as she opened the door to the passenger seat.

"Why are you doing this? You said you agonized over me being gone…Now I'm back, and you want to leave?"

Maka sighed. "I just need some time. I'm hurt and angry. I don't want to be mad at you anymore. I don't know if I can be here anymore. Around you anymore."

Soul placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You don't really mean that; please tell me you don't mean that."

"I'll see you later."

"Look, I'm sorry…for everything I put you through. But I'm here now… and I won't ever leave you again." He breathed while he stared at her. "What do I have to do? Just tell me what I have to do… Please…please don't leave," Soul choked out.

Maka paused for a second before getting in the car. She looked over at him. "Bye, Soul."

"Wait."

She glanced toward him as he reached his hand into his pocket. He brought his hand back out to reveal a crunched up faded red ribbon in his fist. "Here. At least take this."

She looked at the ribbon as tears began to form in her eyes once more. She held out her hand to accept it and looked up into his eyes. He noticed a slight sparkle that gave him a gleam of hope that the old Maka was still there. She was still there.

She ducked into the passenger seat and closed the door. The car sped off leaving Soul in its dust. Maka watched him fade away in the rearview mirror as butterflies began to swarm around in her stomach. She may have just made a huge mistake… but she just had to push…

The gang ran to Soul as the car sped away.

Tsubaki spoke, "She can't just leave like that! We have to go get her."

Liz added, "What are you going to do, Soul?"

Without averting his gaze from the road, he smiled. "If she really thinks she's going to get rid of me that easily, she's out of her damn mind."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry to keep you waiting :(**

 **ENJOY! :)  
**

* * *

Maka stared quietly out of the window of Nick's car as he drove. She blankly watched the road disappear behind the car in the rearview mirror as she imagined Soul standing there, watching them as they drove away. The image of his body shrinking due to the growing distance between them replayed repeatedly in her mind. Her stomach churned and sunk every time his face appeared again. The sadness in his eyes haunted her.

For so long she's waited for this moment…yearned for it. There were many nights when she woke up in tears begging for this. Begging for it all to be a dream and he would be there; no longer missing, but really there. When she stared out into the courtyard and saw Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, and Patty staring back at her, the first thought that hesitantly entered her mind was that he was back, and they came to tell her the good news. When they told her the real reason they were there, her heart was shot down in disappointment. But now…It's real. Finally, her dream has come true. This was all so crazy and hard to believe. She felt him; she touched him. He was right in front of her. Alive…and yet, she's in a car driving away from him.

Maka looked down at the faded ribbon in her hand and squeezed it tightly. _What am I doing?_

Why was she acting like this? She didn't really understand why she left. A part of her _is_ angry about the entire situation but, no matter how angry she was with him, her anger didn't surpass the terrible ache from his absence. So why? Why then, did she leave? She knows deep in her heart that she wants him. No. Needs him. Needs him even if she is angry at him. Wants to be near him even if she is angry…so what is it?

Maka looked back out at the passing road in the window. Could it be that she wanted him to suffer as she did? Maybe that was part of it.

Deep down, Maka knows why she did it. She played it off as if she were angry and hurt but that wasn't the real reason for leaving. She wanted to test his heart to see if he cares about her; see if he would follow.

That's the reason she called Nick and jumped in his car in an emotional whim. Was that selfish of her? What if Soul doesn't follow? Maka's heart sank at the thought.

The pain she was feeling manifested itself in the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek, ultimately falling into her lap. Nick looked over and let out a small sigh. "So…are you ok," he asked with genuine concern.

She began to nervously massage her thumb and hesitantly glanced over at him. "Yes. I'll be fine. I'm sorry that you had to witness all that…"

Nick flashed a crooked smiled, still staring ahead of him as he continued to drive across the barren desert. "It's not a problem, Maka. It's none of my business."

Maka smiled sweetly and looked away, refocusing her attention at the passing scenery.

"Is he your boyfriend," he asked bluntly.

She huffed a tiny laugh. "…Not exactly."

"An ex, then?"

She shook her head as she continued to stare out of the passenger window. "Nope. Not an ex."

"Want to talk about it?"

She laughed again. "Mmm. Not really."

"Fair enough," he said smirking. "By the way…that party is tonight… I was hoping you could still come, you know…if you wanted to."

Maka looked up at him. "Oh…yeah, maybe," she said half-heartedly.

"Might cheer you up," he said smiling.

"Yeah…I'll probably go," she replied unenthusiastically.

Maka rested her head on the window as she stared out into space once more. Soul's face, again, entered the forefront of her mind. This time it gave her feelings of butterflies, not pain. Maka smiled to herself as she revisited the memory of him standing in front of the door, blocking it, attempting to keep her there. Her mind's eye traced the outline of his jaw all the way down to his Adam's apple. He was so attractive. The toned muscles in his neck that she could see so clearly from across the room began to make her melt all over again like it did the first time she saw him. The first time she laid eyes upon him in Lord Death's chambers, finally knowing who he was. Knowing he was alive. Knowing he was right in front of her. That was the best feeling she's had in a long while. The best feeling she's felt in long time.

Maka swallowed. All she could think about was the look on his face. The look that said everything better than any words could express…that he was sorry.

Her eyes glanced back down at the ribbon she still held in her hand. She remembered when he grabbed her wrist and how amazing that felt. _Well, he had to care at least a little bit, right?_ He cared enough about her to want her to stay.

The difference in his personality from two years ago is actually shocking now that she thinks about it…he's like a completely different Soul. The old Soul probably wouldn't have cared at all if she left, being the prideful, stubborn person that he was. Seems like he's grown up in more ways than one…

She thought back to the night before when she was dancing with him. How just his slightest touch enchanted her like a drug. As they moved across that ballroom floor, her mind kept going to places that she didn't approve of. Even before she knew it was Soul, she felt like he was with her in that ballroom. He was with her when he followed her to their tree, if not to just see if she was ok. When he leapt to save her.

Then that kiss. My God. That wonderful kiss. Maka's stomach felt a wave of butterflies flapping around as she gripped the ribbon tightly and smiled silently while chewing on the end of her thumb. She wished it lasted longer. She wished she knew it was Soul at the time. _I don't want Ally, Maka. I want you._ He said those words. He told her he wanted her. Maka could feel her cheeks grow warm.

That feeling faded quickly when she started to feel that same insecurity as before. The thought that he didn't care about her. He may have kissed her, but did he actually care? She had a sudden wrenching pain in her gut. She released the tight grip she held around the ribbon as her smile faded from her face.

* * *

"Soul, we will go after her. You need to stay here," Liz said while running to keep up with Soul.

Soul sprinted faster, ignoring her. He said, "you guys find your mode of transportation; I'm getting my bike back. I'll meet you there."

"You're not going alone!" Tsubaki yelled out as she grabbed Soul by the shoulders. "Listen to me…" Soul stopped and turned towards her. "We are with you…you have us. Let us help…"

The door to Sid's garage busted open as Soul lead the gang inside.

"Sid, I need my bike," he called out.

"What," Sid wheeled himself out from underneath the car he was working on. He was dirty from head to toe.

"Where is it?"

"What," he repeated.

"My bike! My BIKE, Sid. C'mon this is an emergency," Soul said as he glanced around the garage.

"Tell me what's going on."

"Maka went back. She left Death City."

"WHAT?!"

Soul saw it. Like a glimmering beacon of hope, she shined on a mount in the back of the garage.

"C'mon, man. I see it back there. Where are the keys?"

"Oh no…there's no way I'm letting you go after her, Soul…Don't you know how dangerous it is for you!?"

"Dude, I'm not playing games, give me my bike…"

Sid reached up to put a hand on Soul's chest to hold him back as he replied, "this is a nonnegotiable issue, _dude_. Let me talk to Lord Death about this and we will get this straightened out."

Soul rolled his eyes in frustration as he urgently turned around and pushed past everyone, sprinting out of the garage. He headed directly to professor Stein's office while the gang and Sid were all on foot behind him.

"STEIN," he yelled outside of the office door.

Stein swung the door open to find 7 out of breath students and Sid. "Whoa…what's going on?"

"Maka left…" Soul heaved. "We need to go after her."

"Where'd she go?"

"Back to her school. Tell Sid to give me my bike back."

Stein swept his eyes over all of them assessing the situation. He stopped when his eyes landed on Soul.

"Where's your brother," asked Stein in a very stern voice.

Soul looked confused. "What?"

"Wes, where is Soul?"

Wes averted his eyes to the floor, hesitant to answer. "…Getting his bike."

"Ugh, I'll deal with you in a second," Stein called out as he sprinted down the hall towards Sid's garage. The gang followed and exited the DWMA just in time to see Soul speeding off down the dusty road.

"Very clever." Stein shook his head and turned to head back inside the building. "We have to notify Lord Death. This is a very serious situation."

Stein quickly lead them down the hall to Lord Death's chambers. He knocked on the heavy doors, waiting for them to open. They slowly cracked open, releasing that intoxicating mist into the hallway once again. The group quickly filed inside.

"Oh dear…what happened now?" Lord Death asked as he appeared from the shadows, noting the urgency on their faces.

"Maka is headed back to the University and Soul is right behind her," Stein said without hesitation.

Death stared at the group for a while before responding. "And how exactly, did that happen?"

Stein crossed his arms as he looked over at the group. "It appears to me that Sid was duped," he said as the group hung their head in shame. "I guess they forgot that I can see souls and sorry to break it to you Wes, but you and your brother's soul don't resemble each other in the slightest."

"Wait…" Black*Star interrupted him. "If you noticed that Wes' soul was different than Soul's…Why didn't Maka notice that at the ball?"

Stein said, "There could be two reasons. One, she's been out of commission for so long that she didn't even attempt to look at anybody's soul. Two, if she looked at his soul, more than likely she recognized that it looked like Soul's, rationalized it, and brushed it off. After two years of not hearing from Soul and concluding he was dead, her brain would naturally try to come up with an explanation rather than assuming he was standing before her. And to be honest, I thought about that before I sent Soul to the ball, hoping that she just wouldn't notice."

"…Oh dear," Death said as he turned around to think, grabbing the group's attention. "Well… we must go after them…this is very dangerous. Even now if I send all of you, I'm putting everyone at risk."

"It doesn't matter, Death. We will do what we need to do," Black*Star said.

"I hate that I'm already offering up two of my students on a plate. If Maka went alone, that would have been one thing…but since Soul followed her… Maka is worthless to them by herself. They may try to capture her first and use her as leverage to lure Soul. Remember you are going against mind altering Kishins," Death said.

Death turned back around to face them. "Stein. We definitely don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to this…So please accompany all of them with Sid and Miss Marie and bring Maka and Soul back swiftly and safely… and please be very cautious. No chances taken, got it? If I'm needed or anything goes wrong, I will send reinforcements right away. You check in with me. Are we clear?"

"Understood," Stein said and turned to leave the Death room. All the students followed.

Before Wes could leave, Death stopped him. "Wes."

Wes turned around to answer, "yes, Lord Death?"

"Wes… I sincerely hope Maka and Soul make it through this. I hope for your sake and your brother's sake that this doesn't end up being a grave mistake."

* * *

His heart was racing; his breathing steady. His grip around the throttle tightened as he bent down close to his handle bars, soaring toward the university. A cloud of dust spewed behind him while the wind whipped his hair and face. This felt so good; it has been far too long since he's been able to do this. He didn't realize how much he missed it.

Soul focused on the road in front of him, pushing himself to go faster. Even though he was thoroughly enjoying the ride, he only had one thing consuming all his thoughts… Maka. His concern for her was far greater than anything and reaching her was priority for him.

It didn't matter how far he had to go to find her, he was going to find her and bring her back. After being locked away for two years in Death City, he knew that there was no way anyone would let him leave so he had to do it covertly. Thank God for his friends and brother who covered for him.

 _Why did she have to leave like that, though?_ _Stupid girl…some things never change…_ Soul thought to himself as he twisted the grip to speed even faster down the dusty highway. _She knew I was going to have to follow her and bring her back. She always…ALWAYS does things in the most difficult way possible. I'm really not surprised. Just wait till I find her..._ Soul rolled his eyes, annoyed by his own thoughts.

 _I don't know if I can be here anymore…around you anymore._ Yup. Every time he heard those words replay in his mind again, they still stung just as badly as the first time she said them.

 _Dammit, Maka. Why did you have to go and say that?_

Soul's brows furrowed at that thought as he continued to stare straight ahead of him. _Oh well. It's not like I care that she doesn't want to be around me. Doesn't bother me. I just don't want her to do something stupid and she get hurt._

He knew that was a lie though. He does care and unfortunately, it hurts a lot that she said it. It hurts a lot that she drove off with this random "Nick" guy when he so badly wanted her to stay. He would have done anything for her to stay in Death City…did their years of partnership really mean nothing to her? _Do I mean anything to her anymore?_

He ignored the small tear that escaped his eye and blew away in the wind that thrashed against his face.

His heart sunk when the thought of her against his bedroom door entered his mind. He remembered hearing her body slide down the door as she cried out for him from the hallway. She cried out his name. He couldn't stand it. Standing in the darkness of his room, he bowed his head with tears in his eyes as he gently reached out and placed his palm on the wood. He sat in silence listening to her cries from the other side wishing he could open the door and reveal himself. Wishing she would just open the door and discover him. Words could not express how worthless he felt making his meister cry like that. He could hear how broken she was; the pain in her voice tore into his very core. It was the worst feeling he's ever experienced. He blinked as another tear fell out of his eye.

 _What an actress. What a fool I was…_

Soul angrily gassed the bike even more, speeding faster down the desert highway toward the university.

 _It doesn't matter that she doesn't want to be around me…I'm her weapon and I won't abandon her…_

He followed the road all the way to the address provided by Black*Star. He stopped in front of the tall building, presumably her dorm. Parking his bike in an empty parking lot nearby, he walked up to the building.

He noticed students swiping cards to get inside…something he didn't have on him. Even if he got inside, he wouldn't exactly know where to look for her. So, he casually strolled over and sat on a nearby bench located across the street.

He pulled out his phone and opened the screen to the text message menu. Black*Star gave him Maka's new number, so he opened her contact screen, clicked "Message", and began to type:

 _Maka, it's Soul. Where are you?_

Sent.

He waited several minutes without a response. Getting impatient he typed again:

 _C'mon, Maka. I'm sorry. We need to talk. Please answer me._

He waited several more minutes when finally, the two messages came back. Error. Send again?

Narrowing his eyes in minor frustration, he pressed send again. This time it errored out faster. No service? He sighed and gave up, shoving his phone back into his jacket pocket.

30 minutes had passed. The street lights around campus were all lit making the street very visible in the dark. Soul didn't move from that spot the entire time, watching students enter and exit the dorm. _This is dumb…she's probably not even here._

He was about to leave when suddenly, Nick approached the dorm and leaned on a nearby tree, watching the glass doors. Soul's eyes narrowed toward the curious sight. He waited for several minutes until Maka finally emerged from the glass doors of the building. Her hair was down, and she was wearing jean shorts and a little blue hoodie. She looked…cute.

"What the…"

She didn't see Soul. He watched as Nick strode over to her with a huge smile on his face and gave her a hug. Soul felt his blood boil as Nick threw an arm over her, leading her down the sidewalk, away from the dorm. Without thinking, Soul jumped up from the bench and quickly put his hood up. He followed along the opposite side of the street, keeping a keen eye on them.

Soul's eyes again narrowed watching Nick lightheartedly flirt with Maka along the way. Nick would push Maka playfully and laugh or bump in to her on purpose. Soul huffed an annoyed breath as he glared at the obvious display of affection and fought against the urge to call out her name and disrupt their little union.

Soul kept quiet though, much to his dismay, and silently followed behind them to wherever their destination was. He maintained a decent amount of distance between them careful to not alert them to his presence. He really didn't feel comfortable about the idea of following and spying on Maka like this, but his curiosity got the best of him; he just had to see what they were up to. It was easy to be inconspicuous since there were so many kids out and about on these streets.

They walked for a while until they were in a neighborhood type area with lots of small houses. They continued for several blocks until finally turning down a dark street and heading towards a house that was booming with loud music; Soul could hear it from all the way down the street. He watched as they disappeared inside.

There were people scattered around in the yard and spilling out into the street. Soul paused before heading up to the house. _Great…_ He didn't really feel up to being social. There was a tug of war going on inside of him as he desired to follow them into the party, but he didn't like the thought of looking like a complete idiot by following Maka and not knowing anybody.

 _This is weird…_ he ultimately decided as he turned around ready to head back to wait for her at the dorm when a short girl with long, curled brown hair and a red plastic cup walked right up to him. "Whoa! Where you goin', cutie," she yelled out, clearly intoxicated.

Soul blinked a couple times wondering if she was actually talking to him. She stretched out her arm and caressed his chest making it pretty clear who she was talking to.

"Uh…hi." Soul managed to flash a small, awkward smile at her.

She giggled and grabbed him by the hand, "you aren't leaving yet, are you?" Soul didn't answer her but went with it anyway. He was drug through the yard, up the steps, through the doorway, and over to a group of girls standing around with cups in their hands. Meanwhile, Soul was glancing around trying to find Maka.

"Cheyenne! Who's your friend," asked a girl with blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail. "I don't know! I just found him. But he sure is cute though, right," Cheyenne said as she turned to look at Soul. "What's your name," she asked loudly.

Soul refocused his attention towards the group, suddenly aware that all eyes were on him. "Uh…Soul."

"Soul? That's a weird name," one of the girls said.

Soul didn't really pay attention, he was still focused on finding Maka. "Hey, are you looking for somebody," Cheyenne asked noticing his glances around the room.

Soul looked back down at her. "Yeah, Maka Albarn. You know her?"

Cheyenne glanced at the other girls and yelled over the loud music, "Anybody know Maka Albarn?" No response from the group as Cheyenne turned back toward Soul.

"Nope, sorry. Is she your girlfriend?" She asked while taking a drink out of her cup.

Soul didn't quite hear her and bent down to her level putting his ear closer to her. "Is she your girlfriend," Cheyenne repeated louder into his ear.

Soul, slightly smiling, stood upright and shook his head. "No."

She smiled back and said, "well is she here with anyone?"

Soul nodded. "Nick. I don't know his last name."

Cheyenne's eyes lit up as she said, "I know a Nick! Is Maka a blonde-haired girl?"

Soul smiled and nodded.

"Hey. Has anyone seen Nick," Cheyenne asked the group again.

A girl pointed to the stairs just beyond the corridor. Soul smiled and waved in thanks as he turned to head up the stairs. People were all over the place, so he had to constantly avoid bumping in to them.

Up the stairs, there was one main hallway that made it all the way through the back of the house. A sliding glass door lead out to a balcony that overlooked a small courtyard. Soul scanned the small group of people out on the balcony and noticed Maka standing at the back by the wall with Nick standing adjacent to her.

Soul's eyes grew wide. They were close…too close. Suddenly, Nick's lips smashed onto Maka's.

It was as if time had stopped. Soul's face fell blank as he brought in a small breath of air. He looked away on impulse and immediately turned back to head down the stairs. He felt like he had just been punched in the gut really hard. His heart wrenched in pain. _Of course, I waited for just the right moment to see that…I knew this was a bad idea._

He was on his way to the exit when Cheyenne stopped him.

"Hey, did you find her?"

Soul didn't feel too well at this point but stared at Cheyenne and nodded anyway.

"Are you ok?" Cheyenne asked with slight concern in her voice as she analyzed Soul's expression.

He had a slight urge to grab Cheyenne and march her up the stairs to make out with her in front of Maka, but he quickly let go of that stupid thought. "I have to go," he replied and walked out of the party quickly.

He made it down the street and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Maka pushed Nick away. "Hey, whoa. No…" Maka said as her cheeks went crimson. Nick smiled out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry…That was really dumb. I shouldn't have…"

Maka pushed a stray hair behind her ear as she interrupted him, "no it's ok, don't be embarrassed. Just, I'm not really ready for that."

"I get it." He threw his hands up to cover his face. "Gahhh. I'm sorry, Maka. Can we just…start over? I've had a little too much to drink."

Sensing his frustration, Maka replied, "yeah, Nick. It's fine. Don't apologize. Really. I'm ok."

Maka had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey Nick, I kinda don't feel good. I'm going to head back," she said inching closer to the sliding glass door.

"Oh…okay, let me walk you home."

"No, no… it's ok. I can manage," Maka said with a smile. Nick didn't listen to her and started to push his way through everyone on the balcony until he reached the sliding glass door. He opened it for her and let her walk past him into the hallway. He stopped her and said, "are we really, ok? I really am sorry. It won't happen again."

Maka managed to smile at him and say, "Nick, please. Don't worry about it. We're ok, I promise."

He slightly smiled and nodded as he let her continue into the hallway and down the stairs.

As Maka was heading out toward the front door, Cheyenne grabbed onto her shoulder. "Hey, you're Maka, right?"

Maka looked confused as to how this girl would know her name. "Uh…yeah?"

"You just missed your friend! He just left."

She looked even more confused. "…My friend?"

"Yeah! Soul! He was just here. He didn't look too good though and left pretty quickly. Damn shame too, that boy was cute."

Maka didn't believe what she just heard. "Soul? Soul was here?"

Cheyenne nodded with a smile, "Yeah, Soul was his name."

Maka's stomach sank as she glanced toward the door. She snapped her head back toward Cheyenne and asked, "which way did he go?"

* * *

Soul walked slowly with his hands in his hoodie pockets and his head down. He wandered the streets aimlessly for hours. _I'm such an idiot._ He looked up toward the sky attempting to reconcile the recent events of the past few hours in his mind. _Whatever. What do I care? I'm over this._ The subtle lump in his throat and pain in his abdomen indicated he was not over it though. To be honest, he doesn't know if he would ever get over it. Not really. _Why does this hurt so damn badly?_

He finally found a bench in a random empty park next to a small pond when he took out his phone to check the time. 1:20 am.

He let out a small sigh as he reached to put his phone back in his pocket. He stopped when it buzzed.

He unlocked the screen to find a message from Black*Star.

"Are you with Maka?" He checked the time on the text. 11:30. Black*Star must have sent this when he didn't have service.

Soul forced himself to type the word "No." and sent it.

About 15 seconds later another text came through. Soul was surprised at the speed of the response.

"Did a welfare check in Maka's dorm. She's not there. She's not answering her phone. Do you know where she is?"

Soul slowly responded, "she's probably still with Nick at the party."

Soul stared at the screen until another response popped up.

"Party? What party?"

Soul typed out the address and said to go check it out.

"Dude…what happened? Why aren't you with her? Where are you?"

Soul stared at his phone contemplating his answer. He didn't really feel like detailing the last few hours to Black*Star, so he turned off his screen and placed it back in his jacket pocket.

He leaned back on the park bench and began to stare down into the nearby pond, watching the moonlight bounce off the small ripples in the semi-still water. There was a slight breeze in the air. The chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs broke the surrounding silence.

The image of Nick's lips on hers still stuck in the forefront of his mind. He sighed and moved his sleeve back to look upon his faded green ribbon. So many nights he spent looking at it. For two years he sat down there in that bunker with nothing to think about besides her. The only reason he went through with it was for her. He was such a fool to think that it would end with him as her knight in shining armor. What a fantasy. Of course, she wouldn't wait for him much less fall for him. Why would she? She thought he was dead.

Soul gazed out into the empty park with glazed eyes. She cared about him before though, based on what she said to him when she thought he was Wes. Maybe she actually does hate him for what he did... _What if she really doesn't forgive me for that?_

The thought crippled him as Soul crumpled his face into his hands. _This is all my fault._

He sat there for a good half hour before he heard his phone buzzing again. He took it out of his pocket and realized it was ringing. He saw the name Black*Star light up across the screen as he flicked the trigger to answer. "Hey."

"Dude. We found the party since it was the only house bumpin' on this street. Long story short, we found Nick. He said that she left around 11."

Soul's stomach dropped.

"What? That's when I left."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Soul, what happened? How do you not know when she left? Why did you leave her?"

Soul leaned his head down and began to massage his forehead before answering. "It's a really stupid story…"

"Tell me."

Soul sighed and started, "I…I was sitting at a bench outside of her dorm, waiting on her…"

"Wait. Wait…Stein wants to talk to you. Here," Black*Star said, cutting him off.

"Soul, where are you?" The voice of Stein came sternly through the phone.

"I...why?"

"You KNOW why. You left Death City. Cmon, Soul. You know how stupid it was for you to do that. Tell me where you are right now so you aren't alone."

"I'm…I'm in a park."

"Which park, where?"

"A random park, I have no idea really…" But he stopped mid-sentence.

He gazed across the park at a dark silhouette… a figure of a girl.

"Can you tell me anything," Stein asked desperately.

A few moments later with no answer from Soul, Stein said, "Hello? Soul…Soul?"

"Wait a minute, man," Soul said as he rose to his feet.

He narrowed his eyes into the distance to try and get a better view of this girl standing across the park staring at him.

"What's going on," asked Stein, concern growing in his voice.

"Maka?" Soul called out.

"What? Do you see her?"

The girl didn't move. He didn't think she heard him.

"I think I see Maka." Soul said into the phone.

"Soul. Listen to me. That probably is NOT Maka. You need to get out of there. Tell me where you are."

Soul ignored him. "Maka," he called louder.

"Soul! You need to listen to me right now!"

"Maka, wait!" Soul yelled out before hanging up the phone.

"Wait, Soul! Dammit…" Stein said as he clicked the phone, frantically redialing.

Meanwhile, Soul was sprinting after Maka as she took off towards the nearby woods. "Maka! What are you doing?!" Soul called after her. He was sure it was Maka now. He could see different parts of her form as she hit patches of light from the moon or nearby street lamps.

"Maka, why are you running from me?!"

She didn't answer. She just kept sprinting toward the forest.

"STOP," Soul screamed but to no avail. Maka didn't stop.

When she ran into the trees, Soul stopped at the entrance of the forest and gazed into it. He could no longer see her causing a subtle uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He had a really bad feeling about this.

Panicked, he called her name. "Maka!"

BZZ. BZZ.

He pulled out his phone and answered it. "Hey…" It was Stein on the other end.

"DON'T FOLLOW MAKA! IT'S NOT MAKA."

As his eyes swept over the evergreen terrain he noticed that the darkness in the trees seemed to get closer and closer until all he could see was black nothingness. Stein's voice faded into the distance. The darkness was all around him until he finally slipped out of consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Soul slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times to gradually adjust them into focus. Lying face down, his face was pressed against a cool, hard-stone surface. Barely able to see anything around him in the dark atmosphere of the room, he tried to orient his hands to push himself up but realized that they were bound tightly behind his back with a rope. He was in a slight amount of pain like he had been lying in that position for a while. He finally sat up, with a good amount of effort, and rested his back against the cold stone wall adjacent to him. After regaining his breath from the amount of energy he had to invest in repositioning himself, he finally glanced around the tiny dark cell he was in. A stream of moonlight glowed through a skylight in the ceiling allowing him to limitedly see around the tiny chamber.

He squinted into the dusty, dark room until his eyes fell upon a beautiful, delicate face sleeping in the dim light against the opposite wall. His heart raced. _Maka._ She was passed out with bound hands shackled above her head.

"MAKA! Maka, wake up!" Soul desperately called out to her.

"You're awake." A cold female voice echoed from the darkness. Soul's eyes snapped and focused on the point of origin from which the voice came.

Out of the shadows, a tall, slender, blue eyed, long blue-haired beauty emerged from the darkness into the dim light. Soul noticed the third eye in the middle of her forehead. "…Kishin," he whispered as his eyes followed her.

"Very good, Soul. I'm impressed," she said softly while casually stepping over him with her tall stiletto boots to the other side of the cell. With every step she took, a thump from the heel of her boot echoed against the empty walls of the chamber.

"Wake her up, Saphira," a deeper voice called out from the darkness.

The blue haired Kishin smiled, turned toward Maka and snapped her fingers, to which Maka instantly awoke. Maka responded by slowly opening her eyes and blinking several times. She slightly lifted her head and began positioning herself into a straighter position so that her arms no longer held her weight, rolling her shoulders as if she was in some pain. She finally looked around the tiny room until her eyes fell upon Soul who patiently waited for her to notice him. She stopped. Her lips parted as a small tear trekked down her cheek. "…No," she choked.

Saphira bent down to gaze into Maka's eyes as she spoke directly to Maka in a menacing voice. "Seems like you were wrong, Maka, my dear." She leaned in closer and glanced back toward Soul over her shoulder. "Soul immediately left the DWMA in search for you. Great job luring him out for us. It was too easy to catch him." Saphira smirked.

Another tear fell down Maka's cheek as she continued to solemnly gaze at Soul. He stared back at her. An unspoken understanding of the situation they were in lingered between them.

Saphira gently turned Maka's head towards her, interrupting their silent stare. "Now, Maka. This is the part where you will devour his soul and merge with him….to complete your transformation." She smiled a wicked and calculating smile while tilting her head slightly. Maka glared back at her with cold eyes.

"The only way you are getting out of this situation, dear, is if you join us. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain," Saphira said with snake-like eyes, attempting to intimidate Maka.

Maka's eyes narrowed angrily as she bared her teeth at Saphira. "You're wrong," she spat. "I have everything to lose. I will NEVER join you. I don't care if I die."

Saphira didn't respond immediately. She continued to stare deep into Maka's eyes until she allowed a corner of her lip to pull up slightly as she huffed a tiny laugh. "Is that so," she said as she stood up and walked confidently over to Soul's side. She squatted down and held a knife to his throat. "But what if he dies?" Soul lazily tilted his head the other way while cutting his eyes at Saphira, looking more annoyed than anything.

Maka watched the scene unfold without flinching. "You wouldn't. You care too much about building your army."

"What if I did, Maka? What if I did it, just because I can? There are other meisters and weapons out there I can use to forge my army…" She pushed the knife a bit further into Soul's throat making him wince in pain.

"Stop!" Maka yelled instinctively.

Saphira began to laugh as she pulled the knife away from Soul. "See," she breathed as she pointed the blade towards Maka. "That's the problem with you, Maka. You care way too much about him." She eyed Soul up and down.

"But do I dare ask…what he has done for you? Are you so sure he cares about you?"

Soul's eyes snapped to Maka to gauge her reaction at the question. Of course, he cared about her… What kind of question was that? No reaction came from Maka as she continued to stare into Saphira's gaze without hesitation. Soul shifted and narrowed his eyes toward Saphira. _What kind of sick game is she playing exactly_?

The Kishin smiled and stood up, facing Maka while holding the knife at her fingertips. She continued, "remember the betrayal, Maka. For two years, the DWMA left you in the dark. Left you to suffer. Lied to you. Sent you away with a target on your back. The whole city turned on you. And their defense? They claim it 'protected' you. And he…" Saphira pointed towards Soul with her knife. "He seemed to have jumped on the 'get rid of Maka' bandwagon right from the very start."

"Bullshit," yelled Soul unable to stay quiet any longer.

Saphira leaned over to laugh hysterically. she whirled around toward Maka again while stepping over Soul to the other side of the cell. "He doesn't really care about you. How could he?"

Soul lurched in anger. "Shut the hell up! That isn't true! These are lies, Maka, don't listen to her!" Soul screamed over her.

Saphira laughed again and gestured her hands towards Soul. "Damien, will you, please?" A man with shaggy brown hair and a third eye stepped out of the shadows and shoved a cloth into Soul's mouth, tying it behind his head. Damien stuck a knife at Soul's throat as a warning to try anything stupid.

"Thanks, Dames," Saphira said as she refocused her gaze on Maka. "He never really cared about you. This is a façade. Don't you see that? His words are empty because his actions say otherwise. For years, he's made that quite clear…constantly reminding you that you weren't good enough."

Saphira quickly made her way over to Soul's side and bent down. She gently caressed his face as Damien still held the knife firmly to his throat. Soul watched her through narrowed, frustrated eyes and slightly tilted his head away from her slender fingers. "Such a beautiful face…how could someone like him be with a plain, flat-chested, fat-ankled girl such as yourself?" Saphira smiled and glanced over toward Maka. Maka glared at her through angry, piercing eyes making Saphira laugh. "Hey, don't look at me like that…those were his words, remember? He always chose other women over you…just like your father. Brazenly mocking you endlessly, not caring if he hurt your feelings. Not caring about you at all. He never cared. He made that clear when he left you for two years, didn't he? He didn't make an effort to comfort you. When you cried at night, where was he?"

After she said that, Soul's eyes snapped back to Maka. Maka broke away from Saphira's gaze and looked down. Her eyebrows were still furrowed but her eyes were semi-closed and wincing as if those words caused physical pain. As if she was actually listening to this nonsense.

Soul's blood was boiling. These words were so toxic and hurtful. He felt sick. None of this is true. None of that is how he truly felt. _Maka, please don't listen to her._

Saphira strolled back over to Maka, bending down again at her side. She slowly moved a piece of hair behind Maka's ear as she whispered, "You're a beautiful girl, Maka. He never saw your beauty. Never appreciated you for your worth. The DWMA didn't appreciate you. Trust me, I know. I've been there. You don't think I know? I know exactly what you went through, because I went through the same damn thing. My partner left me high and dry. Betrayed me." She looked down at the knife she held in her hand and touched the blade softly as the corners of her lips raised into a slight smile. "Hmm," she hummed. "He got his though."

She picked herself up and narrowed her eyes down at Maka as she continued; her voice rising in frustration. "I understand the unimaginable pain you went through. I understand the hopelessness you felt! I understand constantly being in a state of emotional pain and nobody caring," she yelled out and turned her back toward Maka furiously. Her voice reverberated around the chamber walls.

All went silent as Saphira breathed for a minute, taking a brief break from her speech. After a while, she finally began to speak calmly once again. "Imagine what it would be like without all these chains people have shackled you with. You would no longer be trapped in that sealed box you feel the world has thrown you in. The boundaries of society will no longer be a burden to you. Imagine what it's like to no longer care about anything or anyone but yourself. Join us, Maka. So, you can truly know what it feels like to have that power. We will accept and appreciate you. You are safe with us; we will never betray you. All you have to do is rid yourself of your feelings for him…Soul Eater, who never cared about you or appreciated you anyway."

Saphira slowly turned toward Maka once again. Every thud of her heel against the stone surface of the ground echoed across the empty chamber as she slowly made her way to Maka's side once more. She bent down to her eye level and placed a hand gently on Maka's shoulder.

"In the end, Maka…you were the real victim here. You were the one who suffered so. And now it's your time to tell him…tell him exactly how much he hurt you. Exactly what you went through each day. All your emotions don't have to be bottled up any longer; this is the time to throw it upon him. Make him choke on it. Make _him_ suffer."

Maka sat in silence with her eyes on the floor below her. Soul watched her as she breathed in and out, motionless as if in deep thought. He watched while desperately, secretly hoping she could hear his words in his head, even though he knew that wasn't possible. _Please, Maka! She's lying…_

For a while, Maka didn't move or say anything. She continued to steadily breathe while staring at the ground. Soul and Saphira watched her with patience, waiting for her reaction. Finally, Maka began to choke and sputter on tears that leaked from her eyes. She was crying. Soul's heart sunk as he listened to her sobs.

"That's it, Maka…Let it out. Show us how you are truly feeling inside," Saphira said.

Maka suddenly lifted her head and stared right at Soul with incredible sadness in her eyes. "How could you...how could you do that to me?!"

Soul looked away, unable to connect his eyes with his meister. His heart seared with immense pain.

"Do you know what I went through those two years? I couldn't sleep or eat for months. I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped holding out hope that one day you would return to me. Never stopped blaming myself for what happened. And the whole time…It was all a joke. I can't believe that I let myself fall for such utter bullshit." Her voice began to break from the built-up pain and frustration she felt for the past couple of years. Soul could hear the pain in her voice.

"Yes Maka, tell him how you feel. Don't hold anything back," Saphira urged.

"Do you know how it feels to have a whole city…your home…think that you murdered your best friend? For two years, I was blacklisted there. I didn't feel welcome in my own city."

Maka stopped, looked down and sniffed as Soul finally gained the courage to look back up at her. She angrily threw her head back as a tear, sparkling in the stream of moonlight, flew from her eye into the air. "I trusted you, Soul! I trusted you! How could you do that to me? My trust in you is completely gone! I'm done with this! I'm done with us! I don't want to be your meister! I don't ever want to see you again," she screamed as more tears raced down her face.

Soul sat frozen with his eyes glued on his meister, staring at her…waiting for something…anything to make this situation better. A strong pain began to form deep in his core and slowly began to climb up through his body. As it moved, the pain grew bigger and more horrible. To say he was hurt was an extreme understatement. His heart has never hurt so badly in his life. He breathed in slowly, trying to contain the mass number of tears so desperately attempting to burst free from his eyes. Even though he was a different Soul these days, his stubbornness really never went away. He refused to show her any hint of the inner pain he was feeling. He wasn't going to show her how weak he was. He sat motionless as a single tear escaped his eye and fell freely down his cheek and into his lap. _Dammit._ He looked away hoping she didn't see it. What could he possibly do now? How could he possibly redeem anything with her now?

Both Kishins were smiling, wickedly.

Meanwhile, Maka leaned her back against the wall as she continued to stare at him. She breathed for a while, calming down and thinking about everything she just said. She didn't really mean it. Not all of it. The part about the pain she went through, that was all true. But…she still wants to be his meister. She still wants to see him again. She doesn't really know why she said that.

The kishin's words still replayed in the back of her mind. _He never really cared about you._ It's the one thing that stuck out in the entire speech. Maka knew that those words hurt much more than they probably should have. She recognized that she possessed a deep insecurity about the subject. Was she really entertaining the notion that what the Kishin said may actually hold some water? That her words may actually have some truth behind them?

Maka was hurt, thinking that Soul may not actually care for her. If the kishin's words were true…If Soul didn't care about Maka, then what Maka said to him shouldn't hurt him. Was this simply just another test? Because her actions didn't at all reflect how she was truly feeling. Was it that or was it her pride? Did she actually want to hurt him? Cause him pain? Deep down…the answer was yes. And Maka knew it.

Maka watched Soul trying to analyze his reaction. For a while he sat in silence with his eyes stuck on her as if he couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth. He finally blinked and looked away ultimately closing his eyes and bowing his head. _Could he…_

Maka looked down at the stone floor as she calmly said, "I'm not going to consume him, no matter what you say." The Kishins' smiles turned to scowls. Saphira angrily marched up to Maka. "What?! You do realize you have two options here. Either do this the easy way or do it the hard way, where I will force you."

"I'm NOT going to do it!" Maka screamed defiantly. As she said it, Saphira backhanded her hard across the face, forcing Maka's face in the other direction. Soul's eyes snapped up at the sound of the slap. His body lurched in anger.

Maka paused for a second and began to laugh. "That the best you got?" Saphira landed a blow with a fist this time, with much more force. When Maka looked back up, a stream of blood trickled down her chin from her lip.

"You want to continue this, Maka," Saphira asked calmly.

Maka didn't answer when another fist slammed into her jaw. Saphira began to rapidly beat on Maka's face with no mercy. This time Soul was on his feet. With his mouth gagged and his hands tied behind his back, he ran straight into Saphira and knocked her off of Maka.

"Stupid boy," Saphira screamed as Damien picked him up and slammed him into the cell wall.

Damien punched Soul in the face. As Soul fell to the ground from the blow, Damien picked Soul back up and punched him again, repeating the process over and over. Maka watched in horror as Soul was being mercilessly beaten. "Soul! No, please! Don't!"

"This can end, Maka. He doesn't have to suffer like this. Just say the word and we will stop."

Maka began to cry, tears streaming down her face. "Stop hurting him!"

"Damien." Saphira raised her hand to motion to Damien to stop. "Tether him to the wall over there, will ya?"

Damien obeyed. He picked Soul up and threw him back to where he was originally sitting. This time Damien locked him up with a chain that was attached to the wall.

His face was bruised and bloody, but he still managed to open one eye and watch Maka.

Saphira refocused her attention to Maka. "There now. He can't interrupt anymore. So, where were we? Oh, right…" Saphira punched Maka hard in the gut. Soul angrily lunged forward but was stopped by his shackles. He grunted in anger towards Saphira, trying to divert her attention to him. "Does that bother you, Soul," Saphira smirked looking back at him with one eye. He tried to speak to her through his gag.

Unable to understand him, Saphira approached him and bent down. She untied the gag and said, "what was that?"

"Don't hurt her. Hit me…hit me…please," he begged breathlessly.

Saphira's eyes shifted over to Maka. Maka watched Soul as her cheeks glistened from the tears still running down her face. A deviant smile swept across Saphira's face. "Maybe that's not a bad idea," Saphira said while standing up. She pointed towards Soul. "Dames," she snapped as she stood back against the cell wall, crossing her arms.

Damien smiled and stood in front of Soul. He began to punch him repeatedly with a lot of force. Soul gritted his teeth and grunted in pain. The scream from Maka was one of pure insanity. "NOOOOOOOOO! STOP!"

Her screams were drowned out by the sound of Damien's fist hitting Soul's face. "SOUL! PLEASE, STOP!" She could hardly see through the tears that leaked from her eyes and ran rapidly down her cheeks.

She turned toward Saphira angrily, desperate for a response. "ALRIGHT!"

"ALRIGHT, YOU WIN! I'LL DO IT! STOP HURTING HIM! I'LL DO IT!"

"DAMIEN!" Saphira yelled out. Damien put his fist down allowing Soul temporary relief. Soul slumped over against the stone wall, breathing heavily. His nose was bleeding, his eyes were black; he did not look good.

Saphira began to walk over to Maka.

"What was that, Maka, my dear?"

Maka looked back down. "I'll do it. Just stop hurting him," Maka repeated.

Saphira smiled wickedly without lifting her stare from Maka. "Damien, get the stone."

Damien left the cell momentarily to return with a glowing red stone.

Maka blinked. "What's that?"

Saphira stood up. "Oh, my dear. I assume you were surely wondering how we were going to perform the transformation without feeding the weapon human souls…"

Maka sat in silence waiting for a follow up.

"This is a rogue stone…newly developed magic from our ally witches. We can collect the human souls and store them in this stone. It allows us to perform Kishin transformations without having to go through the process of actually feeding the weapon human souls. Pretty convenient, wouldn't you say?"

She picked up the stone and turned to face Soul. "Well, it is a shame we have to lose you, Soul. You are quite easy on the eyes."

Maka watched as she bent down next to Soul and held the stone up to him. It began to glow a deep, dim red. "What's going to happen," Maka asked.

"Just watch." Saphira said as the stone began to glow very brightly.

Soul started to scream in pain. "STOP," Maka screamed out. There was a flash of blinding light that filled the cell and when Maka's eyes adjusted back to normal, she noticed Soul was forced to transform into his weapon form.

Saphira yelled to Damien. "Quickly, grab her, Damien!"

Damien unshackled Maka and forcefully brought her over to where Soul lay on the cell floor as a scythe. He threw her to the ground.

"Touch him," Saphira demanded.

Maka looked over at Soul on the floor and then back to Saphira. "What will happen," Maka asked again.

Ignoring her question, Saphira shoved Maka to the floor. "TOUCH HIM!"

Maka looked up at the red and black scythe that lay next to her and reluctantly reached out, running her fingers over the shiny, smooth surface of his blade.

Instantly she was thrown into a hallway that lead to the black room with the piano. Dressed in her lacy, black gown, she glanced around and began to step through the hallway, seeing the large piano sticking out from around the corner. She cautiously approached it as she looked around and noticed that even though this was Soul's piano room, the room felt a little different than before. _Something's wrong._

When she made it to the piano she heard a voice. "Ahem." Soul cleared his throat. He was standing in the middle of the main room, hands in his pockets while gazing at her with his crimson eyes. He was in his usual pinstriped suit. _Wow_ , Maka thought. She looked at him with a doleful expression and slowly approached him.

His face was perfect, no sign of being horribly beaten. This was the manifestation of his soul; it was beautiful. She reached out and touched him. "Soul," she began to say with tears in her eyes.

"Maka. I'm ok," was all he said in his low-toned, deep voice. He gently cupped her face in his palm and wiped away the tear that slowly slid down her cheek.

She reached up and grabbed his hand, quick to notice that it felt weird. She pulled it away from her face and inspected it. His fingers were slowly fading in and out. She looked up at his disappearing form. His soul was…slipping. She could feel it.

She closed her eyes for a second before she looked up at him with a determined stare. "Soul, I think we need to do something that you aren't going to like…"

Suddenly, the room began to shake and rumble violently as Soul grabbed Maka and brought her into his chest protectively. The walls started to crack and tear. The piano keys were vibrating uncontrollably. A large crack began to form in the middle of the floor between Maka and Soul. It spread through the room, basically cutting the room in half. The two halves of the room slowly began to separate from each other leaving Maka on one side and Soul on the other.

There was nothing but a black abyss beyond the walls of the room as they continued to crack and tear apart. Maka and Soul held onto each other's hands as the halves slowly separated from each other. "Soul…We need to break the meister/weapon bond!"

Soul, confused, didn't know what to say.

"Break the bond?" Soul gazed upon her with eyes that silently said, 'are you crazy?' "No…" he whispered as another violent shake erupted while the halves continued to separate. He reached out further to sustain his hold on Maka's hand.

"You have to! It's the only way the Kishins will stop! We don't have much time," Maka screamed.

"Once it's broken, we could never…there's no going back," Soul yelled.

"I know, but it's our only chance."

"No," he gritted his teeth in anger, glaring at her.

"Soul! This is not the time. You have to listen to me. This is our only option. You don't have a choice. I'm not going to consume you!"

That pain in the pit of his stomach reemerged as he remembered what she said earlier. _I don't want to be your meister! I don't ever want to see you again!_ He grasped her hand even tighter. "NO, MAKA," he yelled out.

"YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE!" She emphasized every word.

The halves of the room drifted further and further apart as Soul desperately held on to Maka's hand trying to keep them together. He couldn't bring himself to make that decision. He couldn't do that.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME," Maka yelled out interrupting his thoughts.

"Maka…I don't want to do this!" His voice was husky and broke as if he were trying to hold back tears.

"SOUL! Let go. Please, do this for me."

They were reaching out very far now, about as far as both of them could reach. Soul held on as he stared at Maka, his eyes beginning to mist. He squinted releasing several tears down his cheek, unable to contain them any longer.

"Just let go…it's ok," Maka encouraged as her own eyes were beginning to tear up.

Soul began to hesitantly unwrap his fingers from around Maka's hand as he spoke. "I'm sorry…" he choked out. He blinked as several streams of tears ran down his face before ultimately parting with Maka's grip and falling with her into the blackness of the abyss.

There was a flash of bright blue light in the cell as all parties were thrown forcefully backwards into the walls.

Saphira was the first to speak. "…What…what was that?!" She began to get up from the blast. She looked over at Maka collapsed on the floor. "Is it done?"

Maka could be heard, laughing. "It's done…" she said coolly. Saphira snapped her head over to Soul who was back in his human form crumbled on the floor.

Saphira weakly crawled over to Maka and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. "What did you do!?"

Maka formed a wide smile on her face as she peered through one eye at Saphira. "We broke the bond…we're human. We can't complete your transformation."

Saphira's eyes reflected an inner rage. She smiled widely through gritted teeth and picked Maka off the ground by the collar. She began to laugh. "Oh, how clever you are …You broke the bond, now you are absolutely useless to us. But do you forget that we can still kill you?"

Maka flew out of Saphira's grip suddenly, as Soul tackled Saphira and pinned her against the floor. "Run, Maka! Go," he demanded. Damien leapt over to grab Maka, but she dodged him. "Soul," she screamed as she ran to him with her arm outstretched towards him. Soul instinctively reached out to her hand and grabbed it. There was another bright blue flash of light accompanied by a loud bang in the small cell.

When the dust finally settled, Saphira lifted her head off the ground of the cell, now filled with debris from the blasted walls. The cell was well lit now with a mysterious aqua blue light filling the darkness of the chamber. She looked over towards Maka and Soul as her eyes widened in horror.

Maka was floating about 3 feet off the ground. Around her was a glowing aura of aqua blue light that surrounded every inch of her being. Her eye sockets were glowing a bright blue. Soul was in his scythe form floating around Maka's body in a circular motion.

"What is this magic?!" Saphira screamed.

There was a period of silence as the Kishins stared in amazement at the floating entity that was once Maka before them. Finally, Maka held up two fingers towards the two Kishins staring at her from the opposite side of the cell. Soul flew with lightning fast speed toward them and swiftly cut through their bodies effortlessly before they had any sort of time to react.

In disbelief, the Kishins looked down at their severed bodies as they disappeared to reveal two blood red souls.

Maka and Soul collapsed to the ground, returning to their normal state. Soul transformed back into his human form completely exhausted and confused, but totally relieved. His body and face badly bruised and beaten.

Maka struggled to lift herself up. She had absolutely no idea what just happened but, at the moment, she didn't really care. She laid her sore back against the nearest cell wall and closed her eyes, too exhausted to keep them open.

Soul picked himself up and scooted over next to Maka. "Are you ok," he asked, tightly gripping his side where he was in pain.

Maka opened her eyes, saw his handsome, bloody face, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm ok. Are you ok?"

He smiled. "I'll be alright." He spit out a mouthful of blood.

He glanced over at Maka again and started to speak. "…Maka. I…"

"We don't have to talk just yet," she said weakly, interrupting him and closing her eyes again.

He stared at her contemplating what to do. He sighed and nodded, giving in, too exhausted to speak really. There was a lot they needed to talk about but after everything that they just went through, rest was probably the best option. He relaxed his back against the wall directly beside her and closed his eyes.


End file.
